Here’s the good news about Toby Keith’s latest CD: Ten of the 12 tracks genuinely shine. The bad news? The remaining two songs are so awful they will merely confirm Keith’s rep among detractors as a Neanderthal. That’s too bad, because smart stuff abounds. Underneath the brassy exterior of “Get Drunk and Be Somebody” churns a touching anthem about the wearying facelessness of working-class life. Keith exudes raw vulnerability on the steel-driven ballad “Crash Here Tonight.” With its stately string section, the gorgeous “A Little Too Late” conjures a bittersweet mood somewhere between Roy Orbison’s romantic glory and the Mavericks’ wonderful ’90s recordings. With all that going for it, how does this album go wrong? For starters, “Ain’t No Right Way” is just more of Keith’s patented, half-baked political blather. But that pales in comparison to the mean-spirited “Runnin’ Block,” an ostensibly “funny” tale about a good old boy roped into dating an obese girl. This song is just downright ugly, cruel and stupid, and does nothing but taint a mostly strong record. All of which leaves one to ask: Why must a guy capable of real musical highs undercut his work with such regrettable lows?
