Unleashed (CD - 2002)

Personnel: Toby Keith (vocals, acoustic guitar); Willie Nelson (vocals); Chris Collins (acoustic guitar, mandolin); Biff Watson, Scott Emerick (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, Jerry McPherson, Michael Thompson (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Mike Haynes (trumpet); Clayton Ivey, Steve Nathan (piano, keyboards); Michael Rhodes (bass); John "JR" Robinson, Shannon Forrest (drums); Curtis Young, Wes Hightower, Scott Emerick, Vickie Hampton, Kim Fleming, Lianna Manis, Lari White, John Wesley Ryles (background vocals).

Personnel: Chris Collins (acoustic guitar, mandolin); Scotty Emerick (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Michael Hart Thompson , Jerry McPherson, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Mike Haynes (trumpet); Clayton Ivey, Steve Nathan (piano, keyboards); Shannon Forrest (drums); Curtis Young, John Wesley Ryles, Lari White, Vicki Hampton, Wes Hightower, Kim Fleming (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Julian King.

Recording information: Criteria Studios; LOUD Recording; Oceanway Studios; O'Henry Studios; The Hit Factory, New York, NY.

Photographer: Russ Harrington.

If you pay attention to the mass media, the ostensible "big news" on UNLEASHED is the opening track, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," an anthemic song of vengeful, post-9/11 patriotism whose subtle-as-a-flying mallet lyrics and delivery make Barry ("Eve of Destruction") McGuire sound like James Taylor. Far more palatable are the 11 songs that follow, from the gutsy, churning "Who's Your Daddy?" to the modified Jimmy Buffett-isms of "Good to Go to Mexico," and "It's All Good," a much more satisfying take on the Twin Towers attacks that brings Bruce Springsteen to mind. The more black-humored eye-for-an-eye of the Willie Nelson collaboration "Beer For Horses" also surpasses the aforementioned, writ-large "message song," and it's Stones-like groove is almost enough to make one forgive Keith's insistence upon tacking a live introduction to "Angry American" at the closing to bookend the otherwise-appealing UNLEASHED. minimize