American Ride
Encyclopedia
American Ride is the title of American country music singer Toby Keith
's thirteenth studio album. It was released on October 6, 2009, under Keith's personal label, Show Dog Nashville
. Its lead-off single is the title track, which became his 19th #1 single on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts in October. The album includes 12 songs, 11 of which Keith wrote or co-wrote, and one of which is a tribute to Wayman Tisdale
. This was Keith's last album of the Show Dog Nashville label before merging with Universal South into Show Dog-Universal Music
. As of November 2010, the album has sold 420,000 copies in the U.S.
, Keith produced the album himself and wrote most of the songs either by himself or with Bobby Pinson
. The title track
, also its lead-off single, was written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish
; it is the only song on the album which Keith did not co-write, and one of the only singles in his career that he did not co-write. Pahanish and West gave Keith this song because they considered him "the only guy in the world that could get away with cutting it," and he had the demo
on his iPod
for nearly a year before recording it. On the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
dated for the week of October 10, 2009, it became his nineteenth Number One hit.
The second single, "Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)
," was written as a tribute to basketball
player and jazz
musician Wayman Tisdale
, a close friend of Keith's who died on May 15, 2009. This song was released to radio in October 2009. "Every Dog Has Its Day
," which Keith and Pinson wrote with John Waples, debuted in March 2010 as the third single release.
of Allmusic gave American Ride a three-and-a-half star rating out of five. Erlewine's review describes the title track positively, saying that it "casts a cynical eye[…]not celebrating down-home values but wondering where we're all headed[.]" He added that the album "spends more time on the softer side" in comparison to the "swaggering" of most of his previous albums. Ken Tucker of Billboard said that it had "a little less bluster and bravado," calling "Are You Feelin' Me" a "rare show of vulnerability" and "Loaded" a "rocking and rousing" song. It received a B-minus rating from Entertainment Weekly
critic Whitney Pastorek, who said that the "brash mockery of current events in the title track offset[s…] a sweet tribute to a friend who passed away" but added, "too few of these samey-sounding songs are memorable." Slant Magazine
critic Jonathan Keefe wrote that Keith "walks a fine line between self-mythologizing and self-parody" and said that the "uptempo numbers[…]don't amount to much more than empty posturing," rating the album three stars out of five.
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
's thirteenth studio album. It was released on October 6, 2009, under Keith's personal label, Show Dog Nashville
Show Dog Nashville
Show Dog-Universal Music is an American independent record label specializing in country music artists. It was formed from the merger of Show Dog Nashville and Universal South Records in 2009...
. Its lead-off single is the title track, which became his 19th #1 single on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts in October. The album includes 12 songs, 11 of which Keith wrote or co-wrote, and one of which is a tribute to Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was an American professional basketball player in the NBA and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma, he was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.-Early life:Tisdale was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
. This was Keith's last album of the Show Dog Nashville label before merging with Universal South into Show Dog-Universal Music
Show Dog-Universal Music
Show Dog-Universal Music is an American independent record label specializing in country music artists. It was formed from the merger of Show Dog Nashville and Universal South Records in 2009...
. As of November 2010, the album has sold 420,000 copies in the U.S.
Content
As with his last album, 2008's That Don't Make Me a Bad GuyThat Don't Make Me a Bad Guy
That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy is the twelfth studio release from American country music artist Toby Keith. The album was released October 28, 2008 on Show Dog Nashville, Keith's own label, and was produced by Keith himself. He wrote or co-wrote all the songs on this album, collaborating with Bobby...
, Keith produced the album himself and wrote most of the songs either by himself or with Bobby Pinson
Bobby Pinson
Bobby Olen Pinson is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records in 2005, Pinson made his debut that year with his album Man Like Me. Its lead-off single, "Don't Ask Me How I Know", peaked at #16 on the Hot Country Songs charts, and was his only Top 40 country hit...
. The title track
American Ride (song)
"American Ride" is the title of a country music song written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish, and recorded by country music artist Toby Keith. It is the lead-off single and the title track for Keith's 13th studio album, released in October 2009. Released in July 2009 as the 47th single of his career,...
, also its lead-off single, was written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish
Dave Pahanish
David "Dave" Pahanish is an American singer-songwriter. He co-wrote the No. 1 Billboard country music singles "Do You Believe Me Now” by Jimmy Wayne, "American Ride" by Toby Keith, and "Without You" by Keith Urban...
; it is the only song on the album which Keith did not co-write, and one of the only singles in his career that he did not co-write. Pahanish and West gave Keith this song because they considered him "the only guy in the world that could get away with cutting it," and he had the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
on his iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
for nearly a year before recording it. On the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
dated for the week of October 10, 2009, it became his nineteenth Number One hit.
The second single, "Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)
Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)
"Cryin' for Me " is a song written and recorded by country music artist Toby Keith, recorded on his 2009 album American Ride...
," was written as a tribute to basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was an American professional basketball player in the NBA and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma, he was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.-Early life:Tisdale was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
, a close friend of Keith's who died on May 15, 2009. This song was released to radio in October 2009. "Every Dog Has Its Day
Every Dog Has Its Day
"Every Dog Has Its Day" is the title of a song written by Toby Keith, Bobby Pinson, and John Waples, and recorded by Keith for his 2009 album American Ride...
," which Keith and Pinson wrote with John Waples, debuted in March 2010 as the third single release.
Critical reception
The album has been met with generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic gave American Ride a three-and-a-half star rating out of five. Erlewine's review describes the title track positively, saying that it "casts a cynical eye[…]not celebrating down-home values but wondering where we're all headed[.]" He added that the album "spends more time on the softer side" in comparison to the "swaggering" of most of his previous albums. Ken Tucker of Billboard said that it had "a little less bluster and bravado," calling "Are You Feelin' Me" a "rare show of vulnerability" and "Loaded" a "rocking and rousing" song. It received a B-minus rating from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
critic Whitney Pastorek, who said that the "brash mockery of current events in the title track offset[s…] a sweet tribute to a friend who passed away" but added, "too few of these samey-sounding songs are memorable." Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
critic Jonathan Keefe wrote that Keith "walks a fine line between self-mythologizing and self-parody" and said that the "uptempo numbers[…]don't amount to much more than empty posturing," rating the album three stars out of five.
Track listing
- "American RideAmerican Ride (song)"American Ride" is the title of a country music song written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish, and recorded by country music artist Toby Keith. It is the lead-off single and the title track for Keith's 13th studio album, released in October 2009. Released in July 2009 as the 47th single of his career,...
" (Joe West, Dave PahanishDave PahanishDavid "Dave" Pahanish is an American singer-songwriter. He co-wrote the No. 1 Billboard country music singles "Do You Believe Me Now” by Jimmy Wayne, "American Ride" by Toby Keith, and "Without You" by Keith Urban...
) - 2:49 - "Gypsy Driftin'" (Toby Keith, Bobby PinsonBobby PinsonBobby Olen Pinson is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records in 2005, Pinson made his debut that year with his album Man Like Me. Its lead-off single, "Don't Ask Me How I Know", peaked at #16 on the Hot Country Songs charts, and was his only Top 40 country hit...
) – 4:33 - "Are You Feelin' Me?" (Keith, Pinson) – 3:09
- "Every Dog Has Its DayEvery Dog Has Its Day"Every Dog Has Its Day" is the title of a song written by Toby Keith, Bobby Pinson, and John Waples, and recorded by Keith for his 2009 album American Ride...
" (Keith, Pinson, John Waples) - 3:32 - "Woke Up on My Own" (Keith, Pinson) – 3:08
- "If You're Tryin' You Ain't" (Keith) – 3:24
- "Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)"Cryin' for Me " is a song written and recorded by country music artist Toby Keith, recorded on his 2009 album American Ride...
" (Keith) - 4:46 - "If I Had One" (Keith, Pinson) - 3:14
- "You Can't Read My Mind" (Keith, Pinson) – 3:30
- "Tender as I Wanna Be" (Keith) – 3:28
- "Loaded" (Keith, Pinson) – 2:43
- "Ballad of Balad" (Keith) – 4:02
Chart performance
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 48 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums | 8 |
End of year charts
| Chart (2010) | Year-end 2010 |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
178 |
| US Billboard Top Country Albums | 29 |