Artist:  Toby Keith

CD:  Big Dog Daddy

Record Label:  Show Dog Nashville

Release Date:  June 2007

4 ½ stars 

Reviewer:  Deborah Ground Buckner 

One has to admire Toby Keith for doing things his way.  In the past, he has demonstrated his commitment to his music will give him the courage to walk away from a recording contract if he feels his music suffers for it.  Now, with Big Dog Daddy, he has his first CD completely under his own control, released by his recording label, Show Dog Nashville. 

Clearly, the man knows what he does and knows how to do it.  He is right to get the others out of his way and just go forth.  Fans of his foot-stomping classics like ‘Should Have Been a Cowboy’ and ‘How Do You Like Me Now?’ will add ‘High Maintenance Woman’ to the category.  The title track, ‘Big Dog Daddy’ has the same silliness of ‘Who's Your Daddy?’ and paints a character reminiscent of Jim Croce's ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.’   

But Toby Keith fans know he is just as accomplished at crooning out a ballad and he delivers beautifully with ‘I Know She Hung the Moon’ and ‘Burnin' Moonlight.’   

‘White Rose’ tells the story of a bygone era of the town filling station where gas was 50 cents a gallon and ‘they put it in for you,’ bringing to mind Bruce Springsteen's ‘This Is My Hometown.’  In a new move, Keith provides his own vocal harmonies to several of the songs on the album, a first in his recordings that works well, particularly on ‘White Rose.’ 

Keith was personally involved in the writing of nine of the eleven songs on the CD.  Ironically, the one that best fits him is not among these.  Written by Craig Wiseman and Chris Wallin, ‘Love Me If You Can’ catches the tone of much of what has shaped Keith's career in music:   

I'm a man of my convictions

Call me wrong

Call me right.

But I bring my better angels to every fight.

You may not like where I'm goin'

But you sure know where I stand.

Hate me if you want to

Love me if you can. 

Fans of Toby Keith and country rock in general will find they can love this latest effort.

Track List: 

High Maintenance Woman

Love Me If You Can

White Rose

Get My Drink On

Wouldn't Wanna Be Ya

Big Dog Daddy

I Know She Hung The Moon

Pump Jack

Burnin' Moonlight

Walk It Off

Hit It