Somewhere Down in Texas - 6537

Amazon.com Country's most reluctant superstar can always lend gravity to even the weakest of songs, so masterful is his phrasing and restrained, expressive delivery, and so artful his picking and the production that surrounds his Everyman baritone. On Somewhere Down in Texas, many of George Strait's songs are semiautobiographical and ring with authenticity. The title track portrays a man who's weary of the road and yearns to stay home with his family; "Texas" salutes the state that made him what he is; and "You'll Be There," the heartfelt single that talks of meeting a loved one in the afterlife, likely hits a nerve with the singer, who lost a child some years ago. Strait also does well with the terrible twins of country dance-hall fare, misery and grief--particularly on the honky-tonk weeper "Ready for the End of the World" and the killer ballad "Good News, Bad News," a duet with Lee Ann Womack, who cowrote the tune with Dean Dillon and Dale Dodson. Womack sings rings around her fellow Texan, giving her reading of this exquisite song of heartbreak an emotional resonance that sticks in the mind long after it's over. But Strait conveys a stoic acceptance of a tragically missed chance at love, and it plays just right for a cowboy antihero. Somewhere Down in Texas could have benefited from the addition of an irresistible rhythm tune or another example of the western swing that Strait embraced so fervently early in his career. But every time ol' George refers to his heroes by name--Haggard, Nelson, and Jones--you know time will show him to be, if not precisely in their league, certainly a close second. --Alanna Nash Recommended George Strait Product description CD Review George has earned a spot alongside death and taxes on the proverbial list of things you can always count on. -- Chicago Sun-Times - 6/26/05 - 3 1/2 Stars! He's one of those 800-lb. armadillos who can do pretty much whatever he wants. -- People Magazine * 3 1/2 Stars!! Strait's 33rd CD is as solid as Nos. 32, 31, etc. -- Entertainment Weekly June 24/July 1, 2005 - B+ About the Artist For the past two and a half decades there has been one constant in country music: the presence of George Strait hit records. From his first Number One song "Fool Hearted Memory" in early 1982 through his 51st "I Hate Everything" and right up to today’s "You’ll Be There," the words "George Strait" and "country hit" have been synonymous. In fact, he has scored more Number One songs than any other single artist in history and has sold over 62 million records in the meantime amassing 28 platinum or multi-platinum discs –more than any other country artist. In addition, Strait has won over 40 major industry awards and along with his unprecedented 51 Number One hit singles, he leads the all-time Country Music Association (CMA) award nominations with 73 and can boast 19 Number One Country Albums (followed by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson with 15 each). In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and in 2004, received the National Medal of the Arts from President George W. Bush. He cares most about God, his family, his fans, and his music. "I’ve been very fortunate to have had such a long career in country music," says Strait. "I never really set out to have 51 Number Ones but I’m very proud of that fact. I’m going to continue, just as I always have, to try and make the best records I can and do the best shows I can." George Strait kicks off Somewhere Down in Texas with signature style in the lively beer-drenched number, "If the World was a Honky Tonk." In it, Strait sings, "Life would be a three chord song/And the king would be George Jones/If the whole world was a honky tonk." On the second track and the CDs namesake, some might get the idea that the Strait has been making plans to leave the road and head back to the ranch. He’s quick to clear that idea right up however, "No, absolutely not. I’m having way too much fun! It’s not like I’m retiring from the music bus
ASIN: B0009GX23W
VSKU: DBV.B0009GX23W.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:STRAIT,GEORGE
Binding: Audio CD