Toby Keith produced this brand new album, joined by Mills Logan and Kenny Greenberg for the live session. He also wrote or co-wrote all 10 new songs, six with Bobby Pinson, one with Scotty Emerick and Dean Dillon and the title track with Rivers Rutherford. Toby also wrote two songs by himself, including the lead single "Trailerhood," which is moving quickly to the top of the charts. As his recent singles and new album attest, Toby Keith may be the longest-tenured self-contained hit machine in country music history. He wrote his first single and No. 1 smash "Should've Been A Cowboy
" in 1993 and has been the central creative force behind the vast majority of his biggest hits since.The Review
Toby Keith has proven time and time again that he has a genuine gift for writing America-loving, slogan-filled, blue-collar scenarios full of imagery that are ready-made for music videos and concert anthems. Bullets In The Gun
strays just a bit and finds him leaving some of his brash persona behind him and delivering some slightly more mellow song topics.The album opens up with the title track- an auditory movie set to music as well as a terrific historic ode to Marty Robbins and tales of the old west. It’s a modern-day “El Paso” complete with tragic ending- a new and refreshing angle in song taken by Keith. He delivers the lyrics with great storytelling gusto. The on-the-run outlaw couple are reminiscent of Robert Earl Keen's great "The Road Goes On Forever."
“Trailerhood,” paints a scene of guys with beer guts and poker-playing old coots living in a mobile-home park- reducing the song’s protagonist to the lowest population denominator. Even before the video every came out, you could picture Keith sitting in a kiddie pool. “Kissin' in the Rain” is equally cinematic.
Everything else in between is solid, if not spectacular typical Keith fare. The album, however, concludes with the awkwardly icky “Get Out of My Car.” Keith tries to be cute with getting lucky in today’s dating scene, but only ends up deliverying a disenlightened male chauvinistic tune.
Spring for the album’s deluxe edition, which includes more than competent concert recordings of tunes by Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, and Gordon Lightfoot.
There’s no political statements or American flag-wraps on this album, it’s simply a continuing maturing artist that recognizes that his career will be remembered for his collection of work instead of the statements he’s made along the way
Sounds LikeA bit like Eddie Montgomery in voice and song choice
Track Highlights (Suggested iPod adds):Bullets In The Gun
Think About You All of the Time
Chug-A-Lug
Sundown
The Verdict:Three Stars Out Of Five
Toby Keith??? Eddie Montgomery??? Both voices are very distinct, same with the song choices, but we can each have our own opinion, but like you I think the "Bullets in the Gun" cd is solid from start to finish, especially the deluxe cd. The song writer makes the artist and Toby Keith is the total package.
ReplyDeleteToby should pay tribute to Robert Earl Keen for Bullets in the Gun, it is a total rip-off of the Road Goes on Forever, even the same lyrics:
ReplyDeleteThe Road Goes On Forever: Bullets in the Gun
She had a reputation I had a reputation
Stuffed a dollar in a tip jar I dropped a dollar in a jukebox
The cards were on the table Now the cards are on the table
She stepped into the alley She jumped up and grabbed my pistol
with a single shot .410