Throughout this “Music That Built Me” series, I have tried to
feature a few albums that maybe you don’t hear as much about as a Willie Nelson
or Emmylou Harris record that routinely makes these kinds of lists. This week
is going to be one of those weeks, as I shine the spotlight on an album that in
my opinion was very much underappreciate – Honky
Tonk University from Toby Keith.
At the time of the album’s release in 2005, Keith was on top
of the world. Songs like “I Love This Bar,” “American Soldier,” and “Beer For
My Horses” had established him as one of the top artists of the decade – after moving
to Dreamworks. For what would be his final record for the label – before splitting
to form his Show Dog operation, Keith released the album that I consider to be
his finest work.
The lead single from the album was a throwback of sorts to
the Waylon Jennings sound. When promoting the album, Keith had said the music
was going to reflect a lot of the sounds that he had been influenced by. As it
turned out, he was musically reared by some of the best in the business.
The album was decidedly slanted in a traditional flavor.
Granted, there were tracks like “As Good As I Once Was” and “Big Blue Note”
that fit in perfectly with country radio at the time, what really set this
album apart were the songs you didn’t hear – unless you were among the two
million fans who bought the album.
As if Toby Keith needed an endorsement, he got one from a
pretty high source – Merle Haggard, who appeared on “She Ain’t Hooked On Me No
More.” One could hear the influence of the “Hag” all over this album,
particularly on the touching “Your Smile,” which hearkened back to some of the
singer’s best work of the mid 1970s, as well as “You Caught Me At A Bad Time,”
which reflected some of Haggard’s weariness that one could feel on record
during the 1980s.
But, the real sonic treat of this album was the lyrically
potent “Where You Gonna Go.” You know how some songs affect you for reasons you
can’t explain? This one hit me right between the eyes. It’s simplistic in
approach, but really showed what an effective tunesmith Toby Keith was – and is,
as evidenced by his newest release, 35
MPH Town.
Honky Tonk
University will be the featured album of the week on the November 11
edition of Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner, brought to you by Tennessee
Properties. Showtime is 1pm on WNKX Kix 96 FM in Centerville.
