Country Mike Blog

Toby Keith and more

Mike Sudhalter  |  July 20, 2007

Toby Keith's new album is probably his best since the early part of the decade. The first single, "High Maintenance Woman" was very funny, and so was the video.

But the new song, "Love Me If You Can", is an excellent ballad, which is just as important, if not more, for country listeners than the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice".

I lost the Dixie Chicks' debut CD before "the incident", and I had been looking to re-purchase it, which I finally did on Sunday. There was an amazing sale at Rasputin Music, a Bay Area music chain. I think they make great music, and "Not Ready" isn't even close to the top songs of their early years. I pondered buying "Fly", but it seems like every song on there is also on the live disc.

Anyways, "Not Ready" got a lot of attention in mainstream pop culture. But "Love Me If You Can" probably won't, but it should. In the song, Keith sings of how he stands by his convictions but sometimes it might be better to agree to disagree - which is clearly a reference, and possibly an olive branch - to the Chicks. Who knows maybe they can go on tour together - the Apologies and Misconceptions Tour. Stranger things have happened.

One of those really cheap albums I bought at Rasputin was Carly Goodwin, and it's a shame it never got more attention.

The 12-song album, released in 2004, includes a cover of the classic "Crazy", which is a duet with Goodwin and Willie Nelson. It also has a touching ballad told from a soldier's wife's perspective, titled "Baby Come Back Home".

The album has a bluegrass feel, and there's three songs with Mountain or Mountains on it - "Just Another Mountain", "High on A Mountain" and "Mountains, Rivers, Storms and Tears". The last one is a mouthful, but I think it's a cool title.

I just remembered this, but nightclub bands in Nashville only know how to play one Pat Green song upon request, "Wave on Wave".

Brad Paisley is enjoying great success with his recently released album, 5th Gear, and I hope his next single is "Letter To Me". I'd also like to see his next album be a live one. Paisley puts on an excellent show, and a live album could include some covers as well as his hits. Because of his rising success, it's tough for him to play all of his early hits, but I'd at least like to hear him play "Who Needs Pictures" and "We Danced" live. Both songs helped elevate Paisley to the artist he is today.