After becoming a bona fide superstar in the wake of "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue," Toby Keith refused to play it safe, blowing up his persona to mythic heights on 2003's Shock'n Y'All, stretching his musical legs on Honkytonk University, and calling off all bets with the Lari White-produced White Trash with Money, where he got soulful and soft in equal measures. After that trilogy of exploration, Keith snaps back to the basics on Big Dog Daddy, his first self-produced album and his first album of nothing but pure, hardcore country since his star rose in the early years of the new millennium. This isn't a retreat as much as it's a reaffirmation of his strengths as a singer, songwriter, performer, and interpreter. Indeed, two of the highlights here are covers of Craig Wiseman's sighing "Love Me If You Can" and Fred Eaglesmith's "White Rose," a warm, bittersweet slice of nostalgia that highlights how Keith really tells a story when he sings. But if these, along with a handful of Keith originals, highlight his often overlooked sensitive side -- love songs rarely come as sweet as "I Know She Hung the Moon," heartbreak songs are rarely as aching as "Walk It Off" -- this album swings and swaggers as much as the title boasts. There's the galloping "Get My Drink On," the old-time rock & roll title track (Chuck Berry turned into country-rock via Bob Seger), and the irresistible Bobby Pinson collaboration "Pump Jack," and Keith finds the middle ground between these extremes with the remarkable "Wouldn't Want to Be Ya," which turns a cliché inside out, rendering it remarkably affecting. And that's the real secret to Keith's success: underneath all the bragging he's a songwriter and a damn good one at that, which this lean, sinewy, stripped-to-the-basics record makes clear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Brien Sager (Assistant), Mills Logan (Mixing), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Richard McLaren (Photography), Glenn Worf (Bass), Shannon Forrest (Drums), Jed Hackett (Editing), Tom Bukovac (Audio Production), Tom Bukovac (Producer), Brent Mason (Guitar (Electric)), Jed Hackett (Digital Editing), Jonathan Yudkin (Strings), Mills Logan (Engineer), Kenny Greenberg (Guitar (Electric)), Elaine Schock (Creative Director), Darren Welch (Art Direction), Clayton Ivy (Keyboards), Buddy Fox (A&R), Paul Franklin (Pedal Steel), Clayton Ivy (Piano), Paul Natkin (Photography), Steve Nathan (Keyboards), Brian Bobel (Design), Tom Bukovac (Guitar (Electric)), Paul Franklin (Dobro), Eric Darken (Percussion), Jerry McPherson (Guitar (Electric)), Aubrey Haynie (Fiddle), Aubrey Haynie (Mandolin), Randy Scruggs (Guitar (Acoustic)), Toby Keith (Audio Production), Becky Robertson (Vocals (Background)), Chad Cromwell (Drums), Toby Keith (Producer), Mac McAnally (Guitar (Acoustic)), Perry Coleman (Vocals (Background)), Steve Nathan (Piano), Ken Love (Mastering), Dave Pomeroy (Bass), Toby Keith (Vocals (Background)), Meredith Louie (Creative Director)
Big Dog Daddy is the twelfth studio album released by country singer Toby Keith. It was released June 12, 2007. Its first single, High Maintenance Woman, which was released before the album came out, peaked at number three on the country charts. The title of the album was inspired when Keith first saw the new FordF-450 exclaiming, "Now that is a big dog daddy!"[citation needed] The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, selling 204,000 copies in its first week. It was Keith's third number one on the Billboard 200 and his fifth on the Top Country Albums chart.[1]
