Toby Keith - American Ride - Country - CD

Emerging as something of a 21st-century Merle Haggard both in his political ambiguity and his rough- edged approach to country hit-making, Toby Keith's AMERICAN RIDE should simultaneously sharpen the singers already rather distinctive image as a true American while keeping both good ole boys and bleeding hearts guessing. The album features "Crying for You," a jazz-tinged number purportedly written for NBA player and jazz bassist Waymon Tisdale. While the preposterously bombastic title track, which sounds like the way Applebee's tastes, has Super Bowl halftime written all over it.

With most contemporary country artists, you could guarantee that a song called "American Ride" would be a slice of jingoism, but Toby Keith isn't like most country singers. His "American Ride" casts a cynical eye at desperate housewives and wannabe pop stars, not celebrating down-home values but wondering where we're all headed on this American Ride at the end of the 2000s, a sentiment not all that far removed form some of Keith's previous social commentary, which makes it a mild surprise that it is the only song here that doesn't come from his own pen. As superb and striking as it is, it's not necessarily a good keystone for the rest of the record, which does have a few tougher numbers that pick up on the lean, mean vibe of 2008's That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy -- "Every Dog Has Its Day," the sly "If I Had One," and the heavy blues stomp "Loaded" -- but spends more time on the softer side, even when he kicks up a bit of dust on the dancefloor on "You Can't Read My Mind" or does a funny, respectful salute to military life on "Ballad of Balad." In other words, the real touchstone for the rest of the record is "Tender as I Wanna Be," where he lets his guard down and lets the romance flow. This doesn't turn American Ride into a schizophrenic jumble, as Keith has always balanced these two extremes, but after spending a little bit more time swaggering than wooing, he's back to crooning and it's amiable and appealing, if not overwhelming. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Performer	Toby Keith
Music genre	Country
Music subgenre	CD - COUNTRY
Music release type	Release
Media format	CD
Original release date	2009-10-06
Edition	Standard
Language	English
Number of tracks	13
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Toby Keith - American Ride [CD]
Track listing	American Ride, Gypsy Driftin', Are You Feelin' Me, Every Dog Has It's Day, Woke Up on My Own, If You're Tryin' You Ain't, Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song), If I Had One, You Can't Read My Mind, Tender As I Wanna Be, Loaded, Ballad of Balad
Record label	Show Dog LLC
Target audience	Adult
Composer	Toby Keith
Songwriter	Toby Keith
Music producer	Toby Keith
Number in series	1
Occasion	All Occasion
Duration	42.2 min
Digital audio file format	Cd
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N