George Strait Album: “The Chill of an Early Fall”

I have given reviews of quite a few George Strait CDs, and mentioned four of them being in my top FIVE. This is the other one. First off, I cannot believe that there can be ANY negative comments about it.This CD is George Strait at his best, it has everything you could want in country music: Humor, love, fiddles, sentiment, and great lyrics. It has my second favorite song "You Know Me Better Than That" (Only surpassed by "Living And Living Well"), it has "If I know Me", "Milk Cow Blues" (Talk about great western swing), "Lovesick Blues, and two gems you cannot get from "Strait Out Of The Box" "Home In San Antone", and "I've Convinced Everyone But Me". This is really one of Strait's best.

George Is Always The Best. The Lyrics On This CD Are Great. There Are Great Songs Including: If I Know Me, You Know Me Better Then That, Milk Cow Blues, And The Title Song. Keep On Singing Them George!!!!!!

This album is by far the best to date by George Strait. There is not a song on this album that isn't flat out terrific. Strait's "Ace in the Hole Band" is featured on a few tunes: a cover of Hank Williams "Lovesick Blues" and my all-time favorite Strait tune, the un-released "Milk Cow Blues." The musical talents of his band are evident on the latter, and listening to the steel guitar (not to mention a sort of duel between the lead guitar and the piano) will give you chills.

Other great songs: "Home in San Antone," "Chill of an Early Fall," and "If I Know Me" (the latter two will definitely bring a tear to the eye of anyone with the least bit of sentimentality).

A marvelous album. A beautiful blend of swing and traditional influences are a treat to the ear. For Strait fans, this compilation is merely confirmation of what we already know--this man is awesome. If you are not yet a Strait fan, this one will definitely convert you! Ten out of ten!

I've been reading alot of reviews claiming that this album is "too country" or that it may not be up to par with other albums. First of all you need to understand that George Strait is as country as it gets in modern times. He is not pop-country. To those who don't get the "Milk Cow Blues", because the words might not make sense, it could be because the song was writen as a blues in the 1920s by Kokomo Arnold. It was picked up and turned country by Bob Wills, and later turned into a rock song by Elvis Presley, and modernized by Aerosmith. The lyrics are not the key to the Milk Cow Blues, listen to the music. Pop country features many different forms of synthesizers now, as opposed to talented musicians. You will be long in search of a fiddler with the skill of Gene Elders, or the piano and steel guitar player with the ability of Ronny Huckaby and Mike Daily, respectively. Country music used to be about music, and George does a great job of keeping that tradition, which believe it or not still has appeal to many.

If you do not like the "Lovesick Blues", you may just not like country music. Try Keith Urban, Rascall Flatts, or Faith Hill, as pop-"country" may be more your style. Even Georges later albums including "It Just Comes Natural" has more of a pop-produced feel that you may be used to. This CD does include some of Straits better new material including the eerie ballads "If I Know Me", "Is It Already Time" and "The Chill Of An Early Fall".

However if you relish classic country, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, and the like, "Home In San Antone"(another Bob Wills cover), "Her Only Bad Habit Is Me" and "Anything You Can Spare" are great additions to this Traditional style album and may be one of the best true country CDs of our time, making it is a must have for any true country fan.

With this album, George covers the landscape of styles with smooth ballads, catchy uptempo hits, and western swing.

My favorite tune on this album is the fun You Know Me Better. Splendid wordplay and melody, and you can't go wrong including "buckets of beer" and "into culture clean up to my ears." Chill and If I Know have well-textured deliveries that are as smooth as silk. They both examine opposite outlooks on the future of a relationship. Western swing is represented well with Home in San Antone, and Lovesick Blues is given a great cover. Other strengths include I've Convinced Everybody and Her Only Bad Habit.

The only song I dislike is one that it seems everybody else loves. It is also one that George plays at every concert, much to my chagrin. Milk Cow Blues is much too nonsensical, with lyrics that make me grimace. It is one of only 3 songs out of 224 that George has done in his career that I cannot stand to listen to. That inclusion is all that keeeps this from a 5 star entry.