Keith’s country smashes to hit Spokane Arena

Wow, for a second there, we almost forgot about Toby Keith.

After all, the television airwaves have been bogged down with an endless supply of annoying political attack ads. So it is conceivable a person could miss one of Keith’s Ford truck-lovin’ tough guy commercials, which currently run about a dozen times an hour on every channel.

And with the country music world momentarily wrapped up in greatest hits records from country old schoolers including George Straight and Brooks and Dunn (just take a look at the top Billboard spots this week), and many months since the last Keith offering – the 2003 multi-platinum smash “Shock’n Y’all,” which debuted at No. 1 on both the country and overall sales charts and churned out several heavily spun hit singles – a few people may have forgotten that Keith is everywhere.

In the coming days, the forgetful few surely will become fewer. The 44-year-old country singer/ songwriter and perpetual chart-topper on Tuesday will release his latest offering “Greatest Hits 2,” a 14-song collection anticipated to again top the country charts. Later that evening, Keith is expected to celebrate the release with a performance at the Country Music Awards, where he is nominated for six honors. Two days later, Keith visits the Spokane Arena at 7:30 p.m. for a concert with Terri Clark.

Keith’s timely visit to Spokane affords country fans and curious pop culture fanatics a rare oppor-

tunity. For several years, Keith’s high-energy, heart-on-sleeve stage show has been regarded as the top live draw in country music. And with “Greatest Hits 2” packed with the outspoken, in-your-face tracks that have now come to define the at times controversial country star, audiences should expect an inspired Keith performance.

“This one means a lot more,” Keith writes on his Web site about comparing “Greatest Hits 2” with his first greatest hits release in 1998 on Mercury Nashville.

“This one is different because it reflects a point in my career when I was able to be completely self-

directed. My songs, my decisions. ‘How Do You Like Me Now?!’ really speaks to the direction I wanted to go. That’s what got me dropped from Mercury, and it’s what really got this whole part of my career moving.”

Compared to many greatest hits retreads, Keith’s “Greatest Hits 2” has a few unique qualities that should keep it on the charts longer than many retrospective affairs. With the meat of the release featuring well-known smash radio hits, several new tracks will help keep Keith’s collection of oldies fresh.

Three new songs included on the release are the current chart-toppers “Stays in Mexico,” “Go With Her” and a cover of the James Taylor/Carly Simon duet “Mockingbird,” featuring Keith’s daughter Krystal. Previously unreleased live renditions of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and “You Ain’t Much Fun” fill out the 14-song record.

So, if you forgot about Toby Keith, don’t sweat it. He’s everywhere, Spokane included.