Toby Keith, Greatest Hits 2 [ENHANCED]

Toby Keith

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• Original Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Dreamworks Nashville
• ASIN: B00063F8CG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,786 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At his best, as exemplified by his 1999 megahit "How Do You Like Me Now?!" Keith is simple and direct in the tradition of Hank Williams Jr.--aware of his limitations, able to thrive within them. "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" struck a chord, though it differed little from the fist-shaking morale-boosters of previous wars. On the downside, Keith's formulaic tendencies can become tiresome, as it did on "My List," a generic celebration of life's mundane treasures. Sales notwithstanding, "Beer for My Horses" was no artistic landmark for Keith or duet partner Willie Nelson. By contrast, he and daughter Krystal have fun with the 1963 Inez and Charlie Foxx R&B hit "Mockingbird" (first revived by James Taylor and Carly Simon). "Go With Her" injects a different spin into the time-honored breakup song, wittiness absent on the gimmicky "Stays in Mexico." Raucous live performances of "You Ain't Much Fun" and his debut hit, "Should've Been a Cowboy," reflect his ability to rouse the faithful into the obligatory singalong. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keith's Best From The Second Phase Of His Career, December 3, 2004

By	James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

For over ten years, Toby Keith has been one of country music's most perceptive analyzers of damaged relationships. It wasn't until he left Mercury Records and joined DreamWorks Records in 1999, however, that he reached country's upper echelons by infusing a lot more attitude into his music.

Greatest Hits 2 concentrates on Keith's most successful singles from his first three DreamWorks albums (1999's How Do You Like Me Now?, 2001's Pull My Chain, and 2002's Unleashed) . Most of them - like "How Do You Like Me Now," "I'm Just Talking About Tonight," "I Wanna Talk About Me," and Who's Your Daddy - are full throttled romps that showcase Keith's twisted humor. There's also a couple of change of pace ballads ("You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That" and "The List") that add some substance to the proceedings.

For the Keith fan who already has the hits, there are three new recordings. "Go With Her" and "Stays In Mexico" are uptempo cautionary tales that sizzle and bite. The latter has a quirky arrangement that can seem jarring at first, but it eventually grows on you. There's also Keith's duet with daughter Krystal on the Carly Simon & James Taylor classic "Mockingbird" that is currently racing up the charts. They harmonize well, as is typical of family members.

Live versions of two of his biggest hits from his Mercury tenure "You Ain't Much Fun" and "Should've Been A Cowboy" close the album and amply reveal why Keith is known as one of country's best entertainers. Keith's Mercury days also bring to light this set's one drawback: He's not releasing as many ballads now as he did back then and he needs to crank a few more out. He's one of the best in country at emoting the slow stuff too.

By the way, for those who wonder why nothing from Keith's 2003 album Shock'n Y'all is included: his DreamWorks contract calls for six regular releases and two Greatest Hits sets, so it makes sense that he would divide them up evenly and only include hits from three albums for each hits set.

31 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Attitude, love, drinking...sounds like Toby Keith!, November 9, 2004

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Ok, some people are gonna look at this CD and see: TOBY KEITH. Their first thought: arrogant, grandstanding, flag-waving redneck. Others will look at it and think, A brilliant singer/songwriter who isn't afraid to speak his mind.

Doesn't matter which side of the fence you lean on. True, this album features Toby's attitude more than anything else (he's written better tunes than these--"Stays in Mexico" has to be the worst song he's ever wrote, even if it is infectious). Two ballads ("When Loves Fades" and "Rock You Baby") are not included on here. The two ballads that are ("You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This," actually a very well-written song, and "My List," which Keith didn't write) are indeed among his better material. The rest of the stuff..."The Angry American" was appropriate for its time (who didn't want to put a boot in a certain part of Osama bin Laden's anatomy?), but hasn't aged too well. "How Do You Like Me Now?!" is now belittled by the attitude of the rest of the material. And there's nothing from SHOCK 'N YA'LL...interesting.

But Toby reinvents himself (sort of) with the new material. Maybe "redeems" is a better word. "Stays In Mexico" is a throw away; we'll ignore it. Instead, let's look at "Go With Her," a breesy, tongue-in-cheek number inspired by his father. But the highlight of the album is his remake of "Mockingbird" for two reasons. One, Toby has never sounded better, growling out the lyrics to this classic in a voice that would leave even the greatest honky-tonkers in awe. And then there's his daughter, Krystal, who sings with him--a girl who seems to have been born for one purpose: singing. A powerful duet. And there's also two live tracks: "You Ain't Much Fun," a fun but absent-minded song, and "Should've Been a Cowboy," which has become a country radio staple (and a minor classic).

Toby Keith's GREATEST HITS 2 may not feature his best material, but it showcases perfectly where he's at. Though he may not be at his peak (though he could easily get there again), he is still writing and recording with the best of them. His attitude has won him legions of new fans; with these new fans in tow, it seems Keith is ready to re-establish himself as a serious singer/songwriter once more.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, October 16, 2005

By	William D. Shingleton "Wishful Thinking Is No... (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can't say that I'm a huge Toby Keith fan, but I am a fan of country music and I think this is one of the best albums to come around in a long, long time. If you are a Toby Keith fan, you will find all of the big hits he's had over the last few years on this album - everything from How Do You Like Me Now to Mockingbird, with new live versions of You Ain't Much Fun Since I Quit Drinkin' and I Should Have Been a Cowboy at the end.

For people who aren't familar with Toby Keith, this is an excellent introduction of the kind of music that he's producing now. Earlier in his career Toby Keith's hits were a little more low-tempo and sounded (both in terms of instruments and lyrics) like old-school country songs. The shift in Toby Keith's music since he moved to Dreamworks is that now he is far more likely to use a rock guitar than a steel one. The content, however, has not changed - Keith is still singing about drinking and cheating in the best tradition of Hank Williams.

I think it's interesting that Toby Keith's greatest hits (at least this go-around) are almost all up-tempo songs. Keith is excellent when it comes to expressing loud emotions, be they anger, jealousy, or raucus happiness. If you want something more subtle (regret, love) you may want to look somewhere else. But if you are looking for something to get your feet tapping and that is just fun, this is the CD for you.