Big Dog Daddy

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On his first totally controlled album for his own label, Toby Keith adds another title to his résumé: producer. Throughout, the former Oklahoma wildcatter, who’s taken heat for his blustery patriotism and outspoken remarks, seems to be seeking new respect, shifting the focus off of politics and grandstanding and back to his talents as a musician. While his last album, White Trash with Money, found him flirting with R&B and adding horns for a bit more bump, his latest effort finds him nearly in a singer-songwriter mood, taking more time to craft the sound of the tracks and laying down his own harmonies. He’s still relying on gimmicky wordplay and cartoon puffery for his full-tilt radio numbers (“High Maintenance Woman,” “Big Dog Daddy”), but he also showcases the sensitive, ballad-heavy side of his personality that hasn’t been as apparent since the ’90s (“Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You,” “We Were in Love”). He achieves this with some fine cowriting–the winsome “I Know She Hung the Moon” and “Walk It Off,” and the lusty “Burnin’ Moonlight.” He also finds two excellent covers, Fred Eaglesmith’s “White Rose” (which combines nostalgia for full-service gas stations with that of a teen’s coming of age) and the thoughtful Craig Wiseman/Chris Wallin ballad “Love Me If You Can.” The latter, a quiet social commentary, revisits Keith’s familiar theme of holding one’s ground, but with a far more compassionate approach than he’s tried before. Consider it a meditation from a brash king of the hill who hasn’t forgotten how to be humble. –Alanna Nash

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NEW Combo BLUWAVS CD and FLAC FILE

About the Artist

Big Dog Daddy- cut by cut

High Maintenance Woman
Toby Keith/Tim Wilson
My manager T.K. met his ex-wife years ago when she was the head cheese at an apartment complex in Nashville. They had a basketball goal outside for the residents and T.K. would shoot baskets with the complex’s maintenance man Curt while waiting for Betty to get off work. Curt eventually asked T.K. how he could get into the music business and, long story short, he’s now one of the head guys at my booking agency Monterey Peninsula Artists.

The three of us were at dinner one night and got to talking about Betty, who was just a country girl back at the apartment complex, but is kind of a high maintenance chick now. Likes her Dolce & Gabbana. T.K. said something about having known her for 20-some years, and Curt mentioned he’d known her a lot longer since they’d worked together before T.K. was in the picture. I asked Curt if he ever dated Betty and he said, “No, she was too high maintenance for the maintenance man.”

So I went and wrote the song, played it for T.K. and Curt, and everybody laughed. I got to the studio and played it for the session guys and they said, “Aw, man. There’s a comedian named Tim Wilson who’s got a skit about that and has a little ditty song that’s kind of the same thing.” I said, you’re kidding me. But that kind of thing happens all the time. I wrote a song called “Alcohol of Fame” a long time ago and was real proud of how original it was until I played it for someone who said there are about 15 with that title registered with BMI.

Tim’s a friend of mine, so I called him and told him about my song and what the session musicians had told me about his. I said I wouldn’t even record mine without his blessing, which he gave. And just because I don’t want anyone to ever think I copped his song, we threw him a small share of the writing and put their names on it.

As for the song itself, you could call it a stalker song, I guess. He sees her every day and wants to know everything she does, but the end result is she’s just not going to fall for the maintenance man.

Love Me If You Can
Craig Wiseman
Very few times do I record a song I don’t write. I can probably count on both hands the number of times I’ve done that in my whole career. This song wasn’t written for me, but it sounds like I wrote it for myself.

Every word Craig wrote tells it like it is for me. There are a lot of homeless people out there who are lazy, drunk or hooked on drugs, but there are some who might just be down on their luck. So I may feel like the homeless should just get up and go to work, but I won’t stop giving money to charitable organizations that help people on the street. I do sometimes think war is necessary, but if we could push the big red peace button and make it all end I think every single one of us would.

White Rose
Fred Eaglesmith
This is the other one I didn’t write. Curt, my booking agent, sent me some Fred Eaglesmith songs three or four years ago. I pulled two or three songs from those albums and put them on my iPod. I do a lot of running and as I run I listen to a lot of songwriter type songs. This song is such a great story and the beauty of it is there are no White Rose filling stations in the U.S., only in Canada. But it doesn’t change the meaning one bit.

The White Rose is the filling station in yo