Album Feature – Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em On They Toes

By Joshua Wallace

Brent Cobb has released the follow up to his 2018 record Providence Canyon.  While that album revealed a more rocking side of Cobb’s music, Keep ‘Em On They Toes goes back to the more mellow rootsy vibe of 2016’s Shine On Rainy Day.  With four albums under his belt, Cobb is proving himself to be one of the premier songwriters in country and Americana music.  Let’s check out some of the tracks in this new record.

The album kicks off with the inspirational and quotable track “Keep ‘Em On They Toes”.  It’s a feel good anthem about walking to the beat of your own drummer and not letting other people get to you.  It’s a great message that a lot of people need to hear right now.  “Good Times and Good Lovin’” is another great track.  I love the interplay between the fiddle and the slow piano on this track.  It’s a smooth ballad that I’m sure will be a lot of folks’ favorite song.  

“This Side Of The River” is a great song about loving what you have and celebrating the simple life.  It’s got a smooth vibe that flows well with the rest of the album.  “Don’t Sweep Your Dust Under My Rug” is a song about those people that are quick to judge other people they don’t understand.  It’s basically saying “I live the way I do, I don’t mess with you, don’t mess with me.”  It’s a simple message that a lot of people can relate to these days.  “Soapbox” feels like the kind of song the world needs to hear about stepping off your soapbox and trying to get a long.  It’s another great track for this record and I love Nikki Lane’s feature here.

Brent Cobb has released a great record that speaks to a lot of the current conditions of the world without being tied to any particular point in time.  While a song like “The World Is Ending” feels like a 2020 song, it doesn’t feel stuck in 2020.  Good songs should be timeless and this record has that.  Brent Cobb has been playing some of these songs live over the past year or so, but I can’t wait till I’m able to hear some of the newer stuff in a live setting with a full band.  You can find out more of what Brent Cobb is up to on his website.  Keep ‘Em On They Toes is out everywhere as of October 2nd, 2020.

Favorite Tracks : Keep ‘Em on They Toes, Good Times and Good Lovin’, This Side Of The River, Dust Under My Rug, Soap Box

Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em On They Toes (2020)

1. Keep ‘Em On They Toes
2. Shut Up And Sing
3. Good Times and Good Lovin’
4. Sometimes I’m A Clown
5. This Side Of The River
6. Dust Under My Rug
7. Soapbox (feat. Nikki Lane)
8. When You Go
9. The World Is Ending
10. Little Stuff