Trace Adkins

Trace Adkins' new album is called "Cowboy's Back in Town," which sounds like a good'un for music's largest-than-life cowboy.

Adkins has a big 6-foot-6 image to live up to, including his own comic book, "Luke McBain," and a new album that continues his knack for "Did they really?" song titles, such as "Whoop A Man's Ass."

Fear not, that bass voice is deep enough over the phone to rattle an office cubicle divider.

But cowboys -- at least as played by Clint Eastwood in 1960s spaghetti Westerns -- keep a poker face and don't waste a lot of extra words.

So is Adkins staying in character? Playing it close to the vest? Or just plain tired, as he spends the summer on the road with Toby Keith on a tour which stops at the Palms on Saturday?

Chatty Reporter Guy wants to know if you have to pull strings or even bid for the rights to songs such as "Hold My Beer" (which is what a groom instructs his best man in the first verse, what the bride says before whooping the ass of the groom's ex in the second and what the whole wedding party says before whooping the ass of someone who calls them "hillbillies" in the third).

Stoic Cowboy Guy says, "No, I've just got some good friends in Nashville that write some great songs, and they pass 'em on to me."

But when a demo comes in and the title is "Hold My Beer," that goes to the top of the stack, right?

"Yeah, sure. I can be intrigued by a title, certainly."

Chatty Reporter Guy is certain "Whoop" will be licensed to dozens of movies, and that its refrain -- "You've got to whoop a man's ass sometimes" -- will become a standard for Ultimate Fighting or WWE "Raw," not to mention, hello, a "Luke McBain" movie.

Stoic Cowboy Guy laughs and says, "Oh, I don't know man, perhaps it will. It was just a fun song, not something you can release as a single or anything like that. I just thought it was just funny."

Wait. Did he say "no single"?

"Oh no. Radio wouldn't play that."

Seems weird, since they play that "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" stuff. But with at least five party songs in the "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" tradition on the new album that drops Aug. 17, Chatty Reporter Guy wonders if Adkins has become Nashville's go-to guy for these barroom singalongs?

"I don't know, man, I don't really think about what I'm a go-to guy for, I just do what I like and do the kind of stuff I enjoy doing, and let everybody else figure out where it fits."

After touring with Keith last summer, Adkins left his longtime label, Capitol Records, to sign with Keith's own Show Dog-Universal Music label.

"What I appreciated was the fact that they still place a high premium on having fun over there. Really, that's what this business is about," he says. "That's what I initially got into it for, and that's what it's supposed to be. We take care of business, but at the end of the day, you're supposed to have a good time doing this."

So Chatty Reporter figures Adkins and Keith must have some fine times in their second summer on the road.

"We see each other during the day and hang out some," the Cowboy says. "It's just a real comfortable atmosphere out here. Toby's crew and his band are a lot like my band and crew. I've known a lot of those guys for literally decades."

So that's about it, at least until the "Luke McBain" movie and, by the way, how long is he going to make us wait for one?

"Well, there's been some talk about that, but I don't concern myself with that kind of stuff until something's actually going to happen," the Cowboy says. "I'm busy enough, I don't need anything else on my plate right now."

For now, the Cowboy sounds tired, and he's got another interview to do. Best not to make someone have to hold his beer.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.