I own just about every GS CD. Every time he puts a new CD out it's a reminder to me why I love country music. His music never fails to put me in a good state of mind. His voice is still as good as ever with a great selection of songs. This CD sounds very fresh compared to his last couple CD's. It won't disappoint - buy it!
Yes, this CD deserves its 5 stars! After the disappointing Alan Jackson CD, I was so happy to listen to George Strait's new one. This is real Country Music and GS is one of its greatest singer!
Roll on, George! Switzerland loves you too!
Best Songs:
1. Give it Away
2. She Told Me So
4. Wrapped (WOW)
5. It Just Comes Natural (WOW)
8. Why Can't I Leave Her Alone (One of his Top 5 best songs EVER)
He's done it again. I bought this earlier today and after listening from start to finish, I decided he's really the energizer bunny in disguise. Nothing stops him from making great album after great album.
I'm not sure just how he does it, but every time George Strait steps up to a microphone, the stars and planets align and everything seems right with the world. He imprints songs with an easy, breezy style without abandoning his roots. He takes the sting out of cheating songs and even makes "drinking champagne" sound pretty cool.
Even if country music is not your favorite cup of herbal tea, it's hard not to like Strait's smooth, secure delivery.
"It Just Comes Natural" won Album of the Year at the recent Country Music Association Awards. Its single, "Give It Away," won Song of the Year the same night.
"Give It Away," the first cut on the CD, is a classic country break-up song delivered with just a hint of Merle Haggard tossed in for good measure.
"She Told Me So" delivers tongue-in-cheek lyrics so popula in country music.
"That's My Kind of Woman" offers the acoustic sound Strait has favored lately. No slick production necessary here. It's just Strait and some great acoustic guitar work by Mac McAnally. McAnally, recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, has written hits for Kenny Chesney and is a much-sought after studio musician.
"Wrapped" could have been written by Bob Wills. It's a solid two-stepping number with a great turn on the fiddle by Stuart Duncan and some fine steel guitar licks courtesy of Paul Franklin. Strait's never sounded more plantive as he sings about the perils of being wrapped around a lady's "pretty little finger."
The CD's title track is one of three love-gone-right songs. "One Foot in Front of the Other" and "What Say" give us an insider's look into true love.
Strait takes on the role of a sympathetic bartender in "He Must Have Really Hurt You Bad." McAnally and Duncan again provide an extra dimension of loneliness to the cut. Nice.
"A Heart Like Hers," "Why Can't I Leave Her Alone," "A Better Rain" and "Come On Joe" are pure, Strait-up country, with the requisite twang, steel slides and some break-your-heart-in-two tales of loving and leaving.
Strait is well-known for his support of fellow singer-songwriters, so putting Guy Clark's rollicking "Texas Cookin'" on the CD is no surprise. Some spicy licks from Franklin's steel guitar add a fresh kick to the bouncy tune.
As good as the other cuts are, Strait comes closet to perfection with "I Ain't Her Cowboy Anymore." Like his hit, "Amarillo By Morning," the cowboy gets the short end of the loop again and is forced to hit the road alone.
If you're already a fan, this CD will satisfy your Strait cravings. If you're new to country music, the album is a good way to discover why 62 million fans can't be wrong.
