Shock 'n Y'all

Shock 'n Y'all is the eighth studio album by Toby Keith and the one that really got me hooked on his music. Don't get me wrong, I loved his earlier stuff too. Songs like Should've Been a Cowboy, Dream Walkin', You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That, Who's Your Daddy, How Do You Like Me Now, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue, and, of course, I Wanna Talk About Me, are as catchy and creative and heartfelt as anything on Shock 'n Y'all, but I never really put Toby Keith in the CD player. If he came on the radio or TV, cool, I could sing along, but that was it. I never went out and bought the CDs. I didn't consider myself a Toby Keith fan. Even though I liked the songs I heard, even though I could sing them, even though I recognized the excellent songwriting and the passion in the music, I never considered myself a Toby Keith fan . . .

 . . . Then I heard Beer for My Horses, a song that came out on the album prior to Shock 'n Y'all. The song was a duet with Willie Nelson and it's essentially about kicking ass and putting all the bad people in their place. Anyway, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson are a combination that can't be beat. I heard that song and was blown away. I can listen to it over and over again.

When Shock 'n Y'all came out about a year later, I still had Beer for My Horses on my mind, that's how good that song was, and still is. The three singles from the album, Whiskey Girl, I Love This Bar, and American Soldier are as good as anything Toby has ever done. The hot opening guitar chords of Whiskey Girl caught my attention first. I still can't 't get enough of that song. I Love This Bar demonstrates a keen sense of taking the details of life and transferring them into a killer lyric. Then, of course, there's American Soldier, a patriotic tribute to our soldiers done only the way Toby can do it.

The album also features some humorous bonus material, including a song called The Taliban Song (a patriotic love song, as Toby puts it, and Weed with Willie. These tracks never made it to an album. They're songs Toby performs live only.

If you haven't listened to Toby Keith and want to get a taste of some great country, Shock 'n Y'all is the album I recommend you start with. I am not the biggest country fan in the world, although I do have some country favorites and I'm not opposed to listening to them. Toby Keith is one of my country favorites.

And the legendary Willie too.