Country idol channels his inner- white trashiness on new album

The angry American returns - a little less angry. \nToby Keith has been somewhat of a venerable journeyman in the country music business for the past 13 years, releasing everything from radio-friendly country to politically-charged agit-prop, all to the delight of his core fan base. His 10th long-player, White Trash with Money, fits nicely with the more radio-ready of his body of work. The title comes from a confrontation Keith's daughter had with a schoolmate in which said schoolmate criticized her for being glorified trailer bait, a notion which Keith seems to embrace about himself on this record, always with a wink and a smile. \nThe songs range from up tempo drinking ditties ("Get Drunk and Be Somebody") to slowed-down love songs ("Crash Here Tonight"), with the record ending on a curious note with a song about being stuck on a double blind date with a friend and two overweight women ("Runnin' Block"). The material is mostly uneven, and it's 100 percent Nashville-processed product, but Keith is to be complimented for either co-writing or writing each of the 12 tracks, which is more than can be said for the majority of today's country artists. \nTo the delight of some, and I'm sure to the disappointment of many, Keith has delivered this album almost free of any of the political statements that made him a superstar of post-9/11 uber-patriotism. There's no "Taliban Song," "American Soldier," "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" or "If I Was Jesus," but he does make his thoughts about the need for prayer in public schools quite clear on "Ain't No Right Way." Regardless, tracks like "Grain of Salt," "Can't Buy You Money" and "Get Drunk and Be Somebody" are among the best of today's modern country radio offerings, and anything that steals away precious radio air play from Carrie Underwood and SHeDAISY can't be all that bad, can it? \nThe country music scene is currently on elevated alert in terms of lacking any serious legends who are still churning out first-rate material, and in the 21st century Nashville landscape Toby Keith reigns supreme in the eyes of most diehards. White Trash with Money isn't a great album, or even a damn good one, but it is to modern country music what the last few Foo Fighters records were to modern rock and roll: a placeholder for the genre and a representation of tried-and-true, workmanlike studio craftsmanship over genuine creativity and balls. That's not the world's highest compliment, and it might even come off as a slam, but this record is amiable enough, and worthy of respect for aiming for the middle and hitting its target dead-on.