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"You'll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A. cause we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way." So are the words of Toby Keith on his latest single "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)," which adds him to the bandwagon of fellow country crooners Alan Jackson and Charlie Daniels to analyze the September 11th aftermath. 

Despite prideful references to the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, and Old Glory in the tune, such lines of vengeance have stirred up considerable controversy, making it seem more like a hot headed, revenge seeking pep rally rather than an intelligent statement to boast American morale. More level headed moments of nationalistic fervor on Unleashed include the honky-tonk styled duet with Willie Nelson "Beer For My Horses," a plea for justice and equality, and "It's All Good," a tender twangy acoustic ditty that calls for love to cover over all of the world's ills. (It sure is ironic that Keith can be fighting eye for an eye one moment and start turning cheeks seven songs
later).

However, it would be unfair to simply categorize this record as an inconsistent hodgepodge of messages promoting American pride. "Who's Your Daddy?" is a classic bar friendly boogie, "Good to Go To Mexico" is Keith's Caribbean cross between Kenny Chesney's "How Forever Feels" and Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville," while "Huckleberry" totes the typical romantic timeline of a boy meeting a girl. None of the material is incredibly revolutionary when it comes to country music, but Keith unleashes his most straightforward batch of wide-ranging tunes to date. 

Andy Argyrakis 12/2/2002