New Toby Keith Album Underway

Posted Jul 11th 2012 1:00PM by Gayle Thompson
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John Shearer, Invision/AP

Toby Keith's latest album, Clancy's Tavern, is less than a year old, but the Oklahoma native is already working on a new set of tunes and will release his 16th studio album ... as soon as he narrows down the list of songs.

"[I have] about 14 or 15 things recorded," Toby tells Billboard.com. "I don't really know what 10 or 11 [songs] are going to make the album yet. I just go in and get a good vocal on everything and then I'll start seeing which three or four gravitate to the top and I'll start building the core of my album right there, and then I'll fill in what I don't have."

The singer-songwriter promises fans can expect more of his signature style of songs that have propelled him to the top of the charts for the past two decades. "It's the same stuff I usually do," he notes. "It's my world. It's really difficult to put my finger on what I write about because I don't really sit down and try to force anything. I only sit down and write when I have a good idea, and it can be about anything so there's never really a theme or a preconceived idea of what I want the album to sound like. I write all year and then I go in, and I always over-cut."

While Toby may not duplicate the success of his platinum-selling single, "Red Solo Cup" on the upcoming album, he does have a couple of songs already recorded which he thinks will be a hit with fans.

"Everybody heard ["I Like Girls That Drink Beer"] in the studio and was like, 'You've got to release that at some point,'" Toby reveals. He also included a song about one of his favorite pastimes, golf, which he says "kind of puts everything into perspective for all the golfers in the world. It lets you know if you're not on TV, you're not a very good golfer. I've played it about four or five times in public and got rave reviews on it."

Toby is spending much of the summer on his Live in Overdrive tour, but hints there may be an even bigger trek down the road, to celebrate his 20th anniversary in music. "We're thinking about doing something to commemorate it, tour-wise, but we still haven't put a time on anything concrete yet," he explains.

For now, fans have several opportunities to see the country star, along with opening acts Brantley Gilbert and Thomas Rhett, before his tour wraps on September 22. See his complete concert schedule here.

Watch Toby Talk About His USO Tours