"Drunk Americans," the first single from
Toby Keith's 18th studio album, appeared in October 2014 but the accompanying
35 MPH Town didn't show up until a year later. Despite its alcoholic title -- something of a tradition for
Keith in the new millennium, where all seven singles subsequent to 2011's "Red Solo Cup" bar one have booze on the brain -- "Drunk Americans" did suggest
Keith was looking to break away from the slight electronic sheen of 2013's
Drinks After Work, as it was the work of songwriters
Brandy Clark,
Shane McAnally, and
Bob DiPiero, a trio who represented a post-bro country vanguard. Perhaps if it had risen into the Country Top 20, more of
35 MPH Town would've been aligned with this new Nashville, but as it panned out,
Keith went back to the tried and true, crafting songs that fall within his wheelhouse. At the edges, there are some signs of experimentation: "Rum Is the Reason" follows the cadences of
Zac Brown Band's breezy classic "Toes" (the lord of the beach himself,
Jimmy Buffett, shows up on "Sailboat for Sale"), "10 Foot Pole" bounces along to horns so compressed they sound synthesized, and the closing "Beautiful Stranger" veers close to adult contemporary. All of this is flair on another reliable record, one where the ballads "What She Left Behind" and "Haggard, Hank & Her" just edge out the livelier "Good Gets Here" and "Every Time I Drink I Fall in Love," songs that serve as welcome showcases for his sly humor. Moments like these -- moments when it feels as if
Keith still likes laying back and kicking a few tunes out -- are what make
35 MPH Town worth a spin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine