KEITH, TOBY

A lot happened to Toby Keith between the release of this album and the previous year's UNLEASHED. The latter's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" was a jingoistic, post-9/11 smash that caused much furor. A well-publicized feud with the Bush-bashing Dixie Chicks further raised his profile. With SHOCK'N Y'ALL's album cover and title referencing the war in Iraq, it's obvious Keith had few regrets. Regardless, things start off amiably enough with "I Love This Bar," a souse's reverie worthy of Jerry Jeff Walker or Bobby Bare. Before too long, though, Keith delves into some unabashed liberal-baiting with "American Soldier" and critic-baiting with the self-explanatory "The Critic." The ante is upped considerably on an in-concert recording of "The Taliban Song," about the aftermath of the Afghanistan bombing, but the album closes out on an irreverent note of a different kind with a humorous tune about the after-effects of smoking "Weed with Willie."

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.