EDMONTON - Let's just take his redneck politics out of the picture for a second here and admit that Toby Keith can deliver one HELL of a country rock concert.

Besides, who's the real outlaw mavericks: a Bush-bashing trio of Dixie Chicks or a hairy, hatted sasquatch who supports one of the most unpopular presidents in history?

But who cares about such things when you're having a blast of redneck fun? As demonstrated in Rexall Place last night, almost everything about the hulking country star's "Biggest and Baddest" tour lives up to its name.

His voice is big, for starters, a bellowing, arena-filling baritone that rivals anyone in rock 'n' roll. Has the "country Meat Loaf" been taken yet?

If not, TK should have it - and while he's at it, try to go even more over the top in his music, if such a thing is possible.

The show is big: Big fireworks, a big band with a horn section and a wailing backup singer, a big TV screen displaying a variety of obvious things and, dominating centre stage: a gigantic "Ford" grill-plate.

The set looked like the inside of a giant F-150, the cargo space of which is necessary to cart away the bags of cash that the Ford Corporation has paid Toby Keith to be its loudest shill.

And let's not forget his big, bad songs expressing the fulfilment of big desires and the consequences of big sins.

Toby started with lust, a favourite theme, and a song called She's a Hottie - accompanied by the rocket's red glare, bombs bursting in air, plus a whole bunch of confetti - a song about the perfect "redneck chick."

Sexist? Maybe. Fun? You bet.

Who is this Toby Keith fellow, you ask? Our second song, Honky Tonk U, told the 9,500 fans what they already know: He grew up in Oklahoma, worked in his grandma's bar and sat in with the bands, had a football career cut short by injury - football's loss, country music's gain - worked his way up through the honky tonkin' ranks and yada, yada, yada, he became a big star without any fancy book-larnin'.

Stupid song, but again, fun.

Excesses of various sorts were celebrated. Knowing where you stand for a one-night stand was the theme of I'm Just Talkin' 'Bout Tonight, which rejects any notion of commitment in favour of instant, guilt-free pleasure.

He does it up front, too, so there's no guessing when it comes to time to part ways forever.

And a special favourite with what seemed to be a beer-drinking crowd was Get Drunk and Be Somebody, a raucous blues shuffle that candidly explores the phenomenon of alcohol's effect on the human ego. In short, it makes you feel big.

I was beginning to sense a theme here.

Toby Keith showed his sensitive side, too, if such a thing can be imagined. A trio of ballads early in the show accomplished this.

The first, which began with the line "sometimes I think that war is necessary" went on to point out, "You may not like where I'm going, but you sure know where I stand" and "hate me if you want to, love me if you can."

Yikes, that was unexpected. Obviously, the guy knows he's disliked for his outspoken, uber-patriotic views, especially after scoring a hit with a post 9-11 spleen venting called The Angry American (Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue).

He seems to be a bit sensitive about that, too. Note the defensive title of his upcoming CD, That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy, and imagine the list of all the things that don't make TK a bad guy. I guess you can't take politics out of it after all.

And in case where he stands isn't clear - I read a story saying he recently quit being a 'democrat'; way to mess with our minds, man - there's always the red, white and blue fireworks to drive it home.

Applications are still being accepted for the role of "Canadian Toby Keith" - and opener Aaron Pritchett just might have a shot.

All he has to do is get a better band, sing better songs and, while we're wishing here, be a better singer.

The only bright point of a shockingly dull set was his rocking closer Hold My Beer, as in "hold my beer while I kiss your girlfriend."

To ensure maximum fan satisfaction, the former Edmontonian performed the song wearing an Oilers jersey, then brought up his (fully grown) son to sing a verse and have a few swigs of what appeared to be an actual beer.

It was a touching family moment, and an example of the kind of music this guy should focus on if he knows what's good for him.

The bill needed a strong female presence to contrast the radioactive machismo pouring from the stage, and our first act Jessie Farrell filled the bill just fine.

A bit sassy, a bit brash, a bit Sheryl Crowish, the Vancouver singer showed as many sides of herself as she could in a 20-minute set.

She has enormous potential that could sadly be derailed by "commercial" influences, judging by the atrocious single she ended the set with.

What possible emotional impact can you have with a song called I Guess?