Shock'n Y'all
click the image to get it in cd-cover size
| Release Date: |
November 04, 2003 |
| Label: |
Dreamworks |
| Rating: |
3.0 |
Description: A former oil field worker, Toby Keith has always known how to capture the passions of blue-collar men and women, desperate to blow off steam at the end of the day. As such, he’s stocked his latest album with themes designed to push all the right emotional buttons--patriotism, Jesus, buddy love, fast women, and reality altering substances. "I Love This Bar," the first single, offers a kinder, gentler Keith than the boot-shoving redneck of "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)." But as he segues to "American Soldier," a song so gung-ho and puffed up that it could be a musical recruitment poster, you know he’s gearing up for a scud missile of a payoff. Sure enough. By the time he gets to "The Taliban Song," a comedic and cartoonish skewering of The Enemy, recorded in concert, it’s hard to remember that he once wrote well-crafted ballads of romantic infatuation. Now it’s all grandstanding, baby, even the best-written song, a jazzy, talking blues which fillets his critics. If he’s not exactly "Shock’n Y’All" as the title suggests, he’s certainly putting his "Baddest Boots" forward.
--Alanna Nash
Tracklist of Shock'n Y'all
Reviews:
How can he get any better?
If you are looking for the typical Toby Keith CD, you are getting it. It is full of testosterone and patriotism (something that the critics of this album seem to misunderstand) and good Ol Country Music. American Soldier is a song that has brought many Americans in Iraq support and inspiration. Toby really does love our troops. Not only does he write songs in support of them, but he even flies overseas to perform for our troops. If you criticize Toby because of the patriotism this album brings, then you are obviously jealous of the fact that his message is actually heard, and adored by our wonderful soldiers. I Love This Bar tells of a man's love for... you guessed it, a bar. American Soldier tells of the selfless sacrifices our great troops give for America each and every day. Toby may not have served in the army or in any war, but his dad was a WWII Veteran and knows what a real patriot is. Whiskey Girl is my favorite song on the album because of it's upbeat rhythum. Blender Magazine gave this song the title of one of the worst songs of 2004. Well, they usually lack taste in music, but Whiskey Girl is just too good. Weed with Willie and Taliban Song may sound bad, but they are just good humored songs and not to be taken seriously. If you spend $12.00 on this CD, you will most definately have your money's worth and you may even want to buy it for your friends.
Not His Best, Granted!
I am a Toby Keith Fan. I love his music and have seen him three times in concert. I don't dislike this CD. I don't listen to it as much as I do some of this others either. He's a talented man. He's an awesome entertainer...bottomline. This CD has a couple of really good songs. Don't Leave, I Think I Love You is a cute song. His bus songs needed to be on the CD, and I know people don't necessarily agree with that. But I promise you they are a hit at his shows and people wanted to hear them here. I think that he gets a bad rap because of his "outspoken attitude". I'll play the CD for years to come, enjoying his talent, just not as much as the previous releases. It's worth the purchase, none the less.
Shlock'n Y'all
What love for America! What pride in his flag! What disdain for anyone who doesn't fit his narrow-minded agenda. Sub-human racism masquerading as blatant redneck patriotism. Ignorance may be bliss, but is it nirvana? And while the offensiveness of his inherent aesthete is specious enough, his voice brings it all to an even lower standard. And do we really need a 6 minute bar song? Country Music for mongoloids, only one would hope mongoloids would actually revile the stereotyping. My grade: D-
