The name of Toby Keith [ tickets ]'s 2003 album was "Shock'n Y'all." The cowboy crooner, however, should have saved that awkward title for his newest release--because it's shockingly good.

Keith is responsible for some of the most mediocre and empty-headed country anthems in recent history. Yet, it's hard not to be reminded of some all-time great musicians while listening to "White Trash With Money," which marks a true first for Keith.

The CD opens with "Get Drunk and Be Somebody," which is a sudsy party tune that sounds right out of the Jimmy Buffett songbook. The vocalist then seems to be channeling Dwight Yoakam, circa 1993's "This Time," on the cool honky-tonker "A Little Too Late."

The most impressive song in the collection is the convincingly tender and complex "Crash Here Tonight," in which Keith wrestles with his mixed emotions for a woman. Indeed, it's a track worthy of the great Merle Haggard--a comparison that is not tossed around lightly. In this critic's book, there's no greater compliment that can be given to a country singer.

"White Trash With Money" is Keith's best record to date, by at least a country mile. It's so good that it could even make fans out of the Dixie Chicks.