Krystal Keith “Whiskey and Lace” Album Review
No album titular is more synoptic than Keith’s “Whiskey and Lace.” If “whiskey” is representative of the more
party-hearty personal of Keith, you will definitely hear her inebriating in
some of the catchiest light-hearted boilers here. However, just like Jekyll and Hyde, there’s
also a “lace” clad side to Keith; one that is soft, sentimental and
thoughtful. And her tender side brims
most poignantly through the way she croons a ballad. Thus, in many ways, Keith doesn’t fall far
away from the tree. Just like her
superstar dad Toby Keith who has been known to rule the radio airwaves with his
big-boned masculine blusters such as “I Love This Bar,” “Who’s Your Daddy?” and
“Beer for My Horses,” Keith also has a
teddy bear side when he deals with the affairs of the heart with “Does
that Blue Moon Ever Shine on You?” and “We Were in Love.” The younger Keith first came to attention
when she was featured as a duet partner on her dad’s single “Mockingbird.” Forbidden from pursuing a career in music
until she finished college, Krystal Keith has kept her oath. With a Communications degree under her belt
and now married, “Whiskey and Lace” is her debut record released under her
dad’s label.
While off springs of many superstars are keen to deviate as far away
from their parents’ spotlights, this is not so with Krystal Keith. Keith Senior not only gets to co-produce the
album with Mark Wright (Gary Allan & Lee Ann Womack), he also gets a go of
co-writing 4 out of the 10 cuts here.
The softer “lace-y” side of Krystal Keith has had received a bigger push
when the record’s sophomore single “Daddy Dance with Me” has gone viral. Written as a surprise for her dad, Krystal
Keith has had a new corner of daddy-daughter songs since Bob Carlisle’s
“Butterfly Kisses.” Oozing with lots of
“Chicken Soup for the Soul” moments, it’s a challenge not to fight back the
tears as Keith says thank you to her dad: “Daddy don't let
go/I want you to know I'll always need your love/Today I became his wife/But
I'll be your baby girl for life.” Toby Keith shows us to sing,
albeit in a more supportive role rather than a full-fledged duet, with his
daughter on “Beautiful Weakness.”
Sculpted with lots of inspirational lines, this well crafted big ballad
coming from the pens of Mica Roberts and Sonya Rutledge, seriously deserves to
a big hit.
“Cabo San Lucas,” written by Eddy Raven and Toby Keith, is easily the
best among the quartet of songs contributed by daddy Keith. However, if “Cabo San Lucas” sounds familiar,
it’s because it first made its appearance on Toby’s 2008 “That Don’t Make Me a
Bad Guy” album. Despite its flamenco
guitar breezing through its beautiful Spanish tilt, “Cabo San Lucas” falters in
the sense that it doesn’t really have much of a story that goes with song. As
far as her “whiskey” side is concerned, “Him and His Tattoo” finds Krystal
finding her own voice on a track that zings with youthfulness about the folly
of a spring break gone wrong. The bluesy
rock “Can’t Buy Me Money,” turns on the Beatles’ signature tune “Can’t Buy Me
Love’ on its head with a realistic portrayal of a loving family struggling to
make ends meet.
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