Rocks Off was excited to hear that Toby Keith is scheduled to make an appearance at next year's RodeoHouston. We just hope he makes it here.
Rewind:
Saturday Night: Toby Keith at The Woodlands
You see, we're starting to worry a little about Toby Keith's health. Not about the health of his career, mind you; his blue-collar musical output remains steady as ever. This week, the singer put out his 16th studio album, and it's sure to spawn a hit or two on country radio before all is said and done.
But to be quite frank, a troubling trend emerges on the new record. It starts with the title: Hope on the Rocks. At first blush, it could be taken as a subtle dig at President Obama, whom Keith supported in '08, but that's not the concerning part. Before we've even hit the play button, we've already got a prominent reference to alcohol, and you can bet your biggest belt buckle that the Big Dog Daddy ain't stoppin' there.
Beginning with the album's leadoff single, "I Like Girls That Drink Beer," more than half of Rocks' tracks are explicitly devoted to praising alcoholic beverages. In fact, only two songs on the record make no reference to booze whatsoever. This could be a warning sign.
Now, we're no teetotalers here at Rocks Off, but we also watch enough A&E to be cognizant of the dangers that habitual drinking presents. Could new tracks like "Cold Beer Country" and "Haven't Had a Drink All Day" be twanged-out cries for help?
It's a sobering possibility. After all, Keith ain't no spring chicken anymore. He's 51 years old, an age when beer and whiskey maybe oughtn't be the foremost thoughts on his mind. New research indicates that alcoholism can shorten your lifespan even more than smoking, and we'd hate to see the Oklahoman hit the dirt Sooner than he has to.
But is alcohol really a problem for Toby Keith, or is it just his most reliable muse? If the man really drinks as much as his songs indicate, it may not matter. Sure, booze has inspired quite a few of his biggest hits, but at what cost? Gold records sort of lose their shine if your liver's turning darker than a black steer's tuchas on a moonless night. Could it be time to stage an intervention?
The signs are there. But don't take our word for it! What follows are Toby Keith's top five drinking songs. See what the man himself has to say for his affinity for the firewater:
