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Troubadour [4/1] * by George Strait

Troubadour [4/1] * by George Strait Review



Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)



Rolling Along with the Old Troubadour
5 star rating


APR
2
2008
George Strait has been the standard bearer for all that's right with country music for so long, its hard to imagine a time he wasn't around.  Its a little like imagining a time I didn't exist.  In 1981  MCA records released his first album, "Strait Country".  Twenty-seven years and 55 #1 singles later, here comes his 39th album, "Troubadour".  You would think the passage of time would take some of the luster off his career.  After all, that's the way the music business normally works.  Hit the scene with a bang, spit out 4-5 years of hit music, then, out with a wimper.

Well, consider this.  Strait's first single from "Troubadour", "I Saw God Today", debuted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart at #19. That was 4 weeks ago.  Today its at #4.  At age 55, he's still cranking out the hits while most artists in his demographic can't get airplay. To say George Strait is a legend in his own time is to understate the case.  He is the Holy Grail of country music.  What is his secret?

Well, aside the fact women find him irresitable (I've seen this first-hand) and men want to BE him, dude can flat pick songs better than anyone.  If King George has written a song in his life, he's done a fine job of keeping it to himself.  It's rare to hear him sing a song that doesn't fit him and, even when he misses, its not by much.  He just wraps that smooth baritone around the song of his choice and, when he's done, you just can't imagine it coming out of anyone else's mouth.

The arrival of a new George Strait album is like finding a new cereal on the shelf from Kellogg's.  You know you're going to get fine quality from a familiar brand.  He remains true to himself from the Resitol hat to the traditional country sound he champions.  "Troubadour" doesn't really bring anything new to the table, yet satisfies like most song collections cannot.  Rounding up songs from his usual suspects (Dean Dillon, Buddy Cannon, Scotty Emerick, etc) and bringing in a few more,  Strait gives us a collection we can emrace and love.

The first single, "I Saw God Today" is so plain-spoken and heartfelt it put a lump in my throat with its "you can see God everywhere if you just look" theme.  This is a huge hit because it resonates with just about everyone.

"House of Cash" is a edgy duet with Patty Loveless (perfect duet partner for him) that mulls over the fire that burned Johnny Cash's residence, serving as both tribute and speculation that  it burned because "no one sleeps in Cash's bed except the man in black and the woman he wed."

No Strait album would be complete without a little Texas swing number and "West Texas Town" is a high-energy, fiddle-burning one.

"Make Her Fall In Love With Me Song" is pure honky-tonk, and clever, too

George is in fine voice, as always,  but the title cut seems to imply he knows he's on borrowed time as a maker of hit records.  As he sings, "I still feel twenty-five/Most of the time" he is self-aware of father time catching up with him, albeit seemingly more slowly than with the rest of us.  But, he knows who is he and what he will always be, singing "I was a young troubadour/When I'm gone/I'll be and old troubadour/When I'm gone."

Any number of these songs may well become hits for King George on this, his 39th album and, inspite of the lyrics in the lead-off track,  I hope the troubadour keeps doing it until he's singing from his walker.  You see, George Strait really is a national treasure and we should all enjoy him for as long as we can.  God bless George Strait.  Long live the King.........  Grade: A

IPod Playlist For Sure: "I Saw God Today" "House of Cash" "Troubadour"
Erase:  Nothing..they are all pretty good.

I_thumb_up Troubadour [4/1] * by George Strait is recommended by MikeMaroon


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I_comment_shdw24 Comments about MikeMaroon’s Review



PattyTherre wrote on Apr 7, 2008 at 5:29PM


I love George Strait. I just watched the only movie he was ever in - Pure Country. He hated doing it but I love that movie. This guy can't sing a bad song if he tries!


LaurieM wrote on Apr 3, 2008 at 7:06AM


Great job Mike! =)