Toby Keeps Country Macho; Brad Not So Much

7/27/2007 Stephen L. Betts In an article originally seen in the Los Angeles Times, music critic Ann Powers reviews Brad Paisley's "excellent" new album, 5th Gear, by figuring that "the gender wars are just another setting for well-deployed one-liners and updated metaphors." She adds that "affable professionalism defines Paisley; with a calm drawl and the fleet, subtle fingers of an artisan," saying also that "he appeals to fans whose dream of the good life involves not a ranch or farm but a Pottery Barn-furnished home and an SUV equipped with Yakima racks for hunting weekends." Powers says Brad is "beautifully ordinary — unable to overdo it on either swagger or sensitivity, he expresses the mild bemusement of the post-feminist regular guy who values his masculinity but feels silly trumpeting it." As for Toby Keith and his recent release, Big Dog Daddy, Powers calls him Brad's "opposite — a proud Neanderthal who [referencing Brad's "I'll hold your purse" lyrics in "I'm Still a Guy"] would never hold a handbag, although he might swipe one in a pinch. Paisley finds subtlety by standing back from machismo. On Big Dog Daddy, Keith touches the nuances within it." She also weighs in on the new country-leaning album from Bon Jovi, and Easy Money from John Anderson. Read the entire article by clicking here