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"How Do You Like Me Now"
Oklahoma singer Toby Keith is neither
a remarkable singer or songwriter. Yet in his more inspired and
focused moments on his sixth studio album--his first for DreamWorks--Toby
does occasionally manage to transcend his journeyman's limitations
and achieve a sort of workaday eloquence. On patchily conceived
and executed songs like the self-written "Die with Your
Boots On" and a pointless ditty called "Country Comes
to Town," even Toby Keith'ss hard-edged baritone swaggering
over flashy, high-voltage arrangements can disguise the basic
lack of musical substance and creative vision. Yet on "Heart
to Heart," a tender song he wrote for his young son, and
an exquisite story song called "New Orleans," Keith
surprises by turning in heartfelt, impassioned performances that
transcend the general ordinariness that is otherwise the order
of the day. --Bob Allen |
