They're the scum of the earth.

He ridiculed them in his song "The Critic" off his 2003 album "Shock'n Y'all:"

"He flunked junior high band

He couldn't march in time

He tried to write a song once

But he couldn't make it rhyme."

You might think Keith's opinion has changed now that critics are diving into their thesauruses to come up with enough adjectives to praise his new album "Honkytonk University."

You'd be wrong.

"You know what?" Keith said. "I really honestly have never paid much attention. I learned early on not to listen, good or bad. You can't be a hypocrite and say that when the critics say it's really good that you give that any merit if you're going to criticize them when they critique you as bad."

Country music fans long ago made up their minds about Keith's music. They have voted "yes" by digging into their wallets to buy more than 20 million albums since Billboard named him 1993's most-played new artist.

And look for Keith to sell out his July 29 and 30 concerts at Cheyenne Frontier Days, which opens today and runs through July 31.

Other headliners this year are Ted Nugent, today; Tim McGraw, Saturday and Sunday; Sara Evans, Wednesday; and Big & Rich, Thursday.

Keith promised a special surprise for one of his concerts.

"It is being put together right now," he said. "I can promise them a really, really special treat on one of those nights. Some of the people will probably figure it out. But that's all I'm going to say, because I want it to be a great, great surprise."

One thing jumps to mind: a salute to the late country star and Frontier Days' favorite son, Chris LeDoux, who died in March. Keith was a long-time pal of the rodeo cowboy turned singer-songwriter.

While Keith ignores record reviews, his label, management and publicist all have told him that "Honkytonk University" has become a "critics' darling."

"I don't know what caused that, but if you make enough of them, I guess, once in awhile you're going to get everybody to agree," Keith said.

It is the most straightforward country CD he has done since his first album. In contrast, his 2003 album "Shock'n Y'all" would have fit into rock 'n' roll bins.

Keith said he writes 12 to 15 songs a year and puts those he likes best on the album.

He told an anecdote about a recent conversation in which someone mentioned there are some nine leaving songs on "Honkytonk."

"I didn't know that (until then)," he said. "You just never know what's going to rise to the top when you're writing in a year. It had nothing to do with what's going on in my life. I just set back and absorb it and sing about what I see."

His string of edgier albums grew out of his first few years as a headliner for arena shows.

"Getting out there and hitting those arenas and being the man and stuff energize you," Keith said. "And you write a lot on the road, so I think all that energy was pouring through my music. And that's where all that up-tempo, rowdy, partying, rock edge came from.

"Then after two or three years of doing that, last year I settled down and got comfortable with it and just wrote this album."

He started being the main man at large venues after the release of the 1999 album "How Do You Like Me Now?" Both the album and the single title track became monster hits.
Some music writers, however, refuse to accept that.

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