To say that many of us were shocked when the legendary Toby Keith passed away is an understatement. After breaking the news in 2022 concerning the stomach cancer diagnosis‚ he had also shared that hed undergone chemotherapy‚ surgery and immunology. Surely‚ if anyone could come out winning it would be Toby. He was a former semi pro football player‚ and roughneck that worked the make or break oilfields at the ripe old age of 18!Speechless was a phrase I kept seeing over and over because when we lost Toby on February 5th‚ 2024‚ we truly lost a legend. He was 62. We were very happy to see the resurgence with his music. His greatest hits album The Show Dog Years topped the all genre Billboard Hot 200 posthumously. It was clear that the love for the Big Dawg extended far beyond country music as the world mourned the passing of a cultural icon. Though‚ Im pretty sure‚ he never saw himself that way. He was just being Toby after all.Now we get an opportunity to hear a brand new song from Toby by way of HARDY';S HIXTAPE Since 2019‚ Hardy has put out a countrified version of what in the hip hop/R&;amp;B world is known as a mixtape. As legend notes‚ originally‚ a mixtape was an actual cassette with songs from a variety of independent artists. It has since evolved to mean different things‚ but can often mean self produced songs in a compilation form.HARDY';S HIXTAPEVol 3. DIFFTAPE is a tribute to one of the best honky tonk country singers of all time Joe Diffie. We lost Joe on March 29‚ 2020. That was a very hard one to lose for me. He was the last show I saw before the Covid lockdown. Opry star‚ Joe Diffie was such a nice person. Despite being a Grammy winning‚ multi platinum artist‚ and George Jones mentee‚ he always loved the fans.. He followed our account on Twitter after the show. Joe was also an incredible songwriter. If he didnt finish you off with his stone cold singing‚ the heart-wrenching lyrics would do the trick like the ones in this song..HARDY';S HIXTAPE Vol. 3 DIFFTAPE presents a stealthy selection of some of Joe Diffies greatest hits. Joe Diffie sings the original version of the song on each track‚ and the artists trade off verses. I really like how the original interpretation or vibe of the songs are in tact. Joe Diffie';s son Parker also makes an appearance in the closing song ";Life Had Plans For Me";.Featured Artists Joe Diffie Toby Keith HARDY Morgan Wallen Post Malone Sammy Kershaw Ernest Luke Combs Tracy Lawrence Randy Houser Reba McEntire Jake Worthington Darius Rucker Hailey Whitters Parker Diffie Lainey Wilson Old Dominion Jon Pardi Luke Bryan Mark Wills Nate Smith Randall King Jack Ingram Koe Wetzel Lauren Watkins Kameron Marlowe Chris Young Blake Shelton Brooks &;amp; Dunn Clint Black Larry Fleet Aaron TippinThey all do a fine job‚ but of course‚ the standout track for many will be Toby Keiths voice on Ships That Dont Come In. It took me well over a year before I could hear Joe sing that song after his passing. The lines that always tug at my heart strings are as follows:I guess we can';t complainGod made life a gambleAnd we';re still in the game..Hearing Toby sing those lines was impactful. His Twitter account chimed in on the song as well..Luke Combs singing on the track with Joe‚ and Toby seemed almost like a passing of the torch from Toby to the Tarheel. Luke did a fine job. Youve probably already heard some of the songs on The DIFFTAPE like this one..As you can hear‚ HARDY';S HIXTAPE‚ Vol 3‚ DIFFTAPE is a banger! It is a total vibe‚ and a top shelf tribute to one of the greatest honky tonk singers of all time Joe Diffie. AND‚ We also get treated to hearing Toby Keith on a newly released song. All good things. Pop a top and play it!Please help support these amazing charities!Matthew 23Make A WishSt JudeHabitat For HumanityPersecution.orgDon';t forget to follow the blogger on Twitter:Listen to more good country music hereCheck out our music podcasts on Pandora