Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Toby Keith (vocals); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Roman Dudok, Gaika James, Willie Roy Jr., Roman Dudock (horns); Clayton Ivey, Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Glenn Worf, Michael Rhodes (bass instrument); Shannon Forest, Shannon Forrest (drums); Scotty Emerick, Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Jerry McPherson, Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Mark Douthit (saxophone); Julian King (horns, background vocals); John Wesley Ryles, Lisa Cochran, Wes Hightower (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Julian King.

Recording information: Cartee Day Studios, Nashville, TN; Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, NV; Loud Recording, Nashville, TN; Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV; Ocean Way Nashville, Nashville, TN; Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA; Shoreline Ampitheatre, Mountain View, CA; Shrimp Boat Sound, Key West, FL; The Holler, Nashville, TN; Upstairs Productions, Oklahoma City, OK.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

Toby Keith's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 picks up where his first hits collection, 1998's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, left off -- in 1999, when Keith signed to DreamWorks. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover everything Keith released between 1999's How Do You Like Me Now?! and Greatest Hits, Vol. 2's release in November 2004. It inexplicably bypasses his 2003 album Shock'n Y'All entirely, which means that number one hits "I Love This Bar," "American Soldier," and "Whiskey Girl" are nowhere to be found. Instead, there are three selections from his first three DreamWorks albums -- How Do You Like Me Now?!, 2001's Pull My Chain, and 2002's Unleashed -- adding three new recordings plus live takes of "You Ain't Much Fun" and "Should've Been a Cowboy," which he originally cut for Mercury. This means this hits collection is far from complete, missing not just Shock'n Y'All, but smaller DreamWorks hits like "When Love Fades," and the new material doesn't quite make up for their absence, even if the straight-ahead "Go With Her" and the carnivalesque "Stays in Mexico" are enjoyable (his update of the James Taylor/Carly Simon duet on Inez & Charlie Foxx's "Mockingbird," recorded with Krystal, is another matter entirely). So, Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 isn't as comprehensive or accurate as it should have been, but what is here is for the most part enjoyable, and a good way to get for casual fans to get most of his biggest hits of the 2000s in one place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Although Toby Keith was a regular resident of the Billboard country charts for nearly 10 years before the release of 2002's UNLEASHED, it was that album and its attendant pro-Iraq War anthem, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," that catapulted him to genuine superstar status. The Oklahoma-born singer is often criticized for his politically conservative beliefs, but one listen to GREATEST HITS 2 will make it hard for any listener to resist Keith's warm, commanding baritone, dance-floor-ready neo-traditionalist rhythms, and sharp songwriting.

Though it doesn't present anything from Keith's massively popular 2003 record SHOCK'N Y'ALL, the disc does collect many of the best moments from UNLEASHED, PULL MY CHAIN, and HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW. The compilation also adds several newly recorded songs and features high-spirited live versions of early hits "Should've Been a Cowboy," and "You Ain't Much Fun." Other highlights include "Beer for My Horses," a staunchly right-wing Willie Nelson duet, and "Stays in Mexico," a freewheeling examination of marital infidelities. A representative overview of an important period in Keith's career, GREATEST HITS 2 is a perfect introduction to a talented and deceptively complex artist. minimize