Customer Reviews

George Strait

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I whole-heartedly disagree with the editorial review of this album. I don't know if Mr. John Morthland listens to much country music, but he should realize that George Strait is one of the modern day founding fathers of country. Make no mistake about it, George Strait hasn't sold out or "committed Murder on Music Row." Every song on this album is country from start to finish. Yes, not every song is appropriate for line dancing, but most of George's best songs aren't. The steel guitar still takes center stage in the sad ballad "The Night's Just Right for Love" and the song "You're Stronger Than Me" is a real country hit that has a very similar melody to his old classic "Get Out of my Arms." Of course the radio single, "Go On" is sure to hit number one soon, and anyone who has heard it understands that it's a true country song. I'm a huge fan of George Strait, and am very pleased with the quality of this album, it's thoughtfully done, and seems to draw a sound similar to his older stuff. It's not his best album, but how is anyone ever going to top songs like "Amarillo by Morning" and "Ace in the Hole." This album falls right in line with all of his previous albums and should be considered by every serious country fan.

If anyone ever accused Strait of making his music slicker they will have to take that back now. How could anyone...in the face of such steeped-in-tradition numbers like 'If you can anything else', 'Lookin out my window through the pain' (classic Strait wordplay), and 'If its gonna rain', think this album anything but Pure Country? 'Home Improvement' has a very fun, cajun feel to it and 'You're stronger than me' is the perfect swing number. My personal favorite has to be 'She took the wind from his sails' but then I have always believed that Strait is one of the masters of heartbreak songs. 'The night's just right for love' is beautiful...and we all know 'Go On' is just right too...the entire album is perfect...a must buy for any fan of real country music. Of course I know all the George Strait fans already have the album...they know this man cannot go far wrong!

I just finished listening to George's new cd and I love it! The songs are real country. You must buy this cd if you enjoy George's music. It has a great combination of ballads and faster songs.

Please buy this cd, you will not be dissapointed with it. I'm so glad that George is out there for us. At least his songs have meaning and don't repeat the same phrase over and over like some other songs such as "Breathe" and "This Kiss". This is the real deal of music and not that pop fluff that I can't stand.

Like a fine wine, George only gets better with time!

I'm kind of puzzled by some of the comments here. Some say George is taking advantage of his fans by making interchangeable recordings then in the next breath accuse him of selling out country. Huh?

Rubbish!!! "George Strait" is another great release from one of the most "traditional" acts in country music. True his upbeat numbers never rock like Alan Jackson or Tim McGraw. Instead they gently swing and it's a nice alternative to most of the "cross-over" country getting so much radio play.

Strait is true to his style: Alternating between country swing numbers ("Home Improvement" being one of his best in recent memory) and beautiful ballads ("If It's Gonna Rain" and "The Night's Just Right For Love" are two wonderful numbers). And the hits from this release, so far, are all excellent with "Go On" being one of his best in years.

George keep making them just like this and yes they will continue to sell to your fans because they know they won't be let down.

By the way... I liked the comparison to Sinatra. Like Sinatra Strait is wonderful with phrasing and it always sounds like he's put extra thought into how he sings each line. Yet at the same time his singing sound effortless and natural. Classic.

George Strait knows the ins and outs of music to know the importance of good songs. Strait knows that in order to stay in the constant changing musical scene, he needs good songs. Nevertheless, this is what we find in this collection of songs (Strait's second disc released this year).

The opening track "If You Can Do Anything Else" has no.1 stamped all over it. It has an infectious melody with an enforgetable hook. After hearing the song, you will find yourself humming, "Baby you can stay right here." "Don't Make Me Come Over there And Love You" is another contender for the pole position. It has a rapid cajun-style melody not dissimilar to last year's "What Do You Say to That." It is not surprising that the two tunes sound similar because both are co-written by Nashville's top tunesmith and artist Jim Lauderdale.

After Rodney Crowell's recent success as a songwriter for Tim McGraw's "Please Remember Me," Strait wisely jumps on the Crowell bandwagon. Crowell wrote one of the most romantic love songs Strait has ever done. "The Night's Just Right for Love" easily rivals Strait's romantic ballads like "I Cross My Heart" and "The Man in Love With You."

Lyrically, the most interesting song here is "Which Side of the Glass," which looks at break up through a window, a whisky tumbler and a window. This is one of the most cleverly penned song Strait has had ever done.

However, there seems to be a formula Strait is using in picking out songs. Besides the Lauderdale cut, there are a few cuts which are strikingly similar to cuts Strait has done before. "Looking Out My Window," the 1976 Mel Street hit sounds very similar in melody and theme to another cover Strait has had done before "Today My World Slipped Away." While "Go On" is a little similar to last year's "Meanwhile" (in terms of melody) and "The Chair" (lyrics wise).

Although I am a fan of Dean Dillon and have been grateful that Strait has recorded over 30 of Dillon's compositions (including "The Best Day"), the two Dillon tracks here are not the best. "She Took the Wind from His Sails" is a tad too wordy and the melody seems to drag on and on. The second Dillon cut "If It's Gonna Rain" is just cliche -- how many songs have used the "rain" metaphor for heartbreak? And this song adds nothing need to this overused theme and metaphor.

Overall, this is an EXCELLENT album. The first 2 tracks will get you listening and humming in no time. It is still a solid album, the criticisms though are minor.

I received George Strait's new album yesterday. So far, I have only listened to the songs once but have to say that I LOVE the whole album! There isn't one song that I dislike and I can't understand why sales of the album are not stronger than they should be. I was extremely impressed with the very first song "If You Can Do Anything Else",and when I heard the second one, "Don't Make Me Come Over There and Love You", I thought that George was singing '50s rock and roll! LOL. By the way, I love '50s music and I think that it goes well with country! "Looking Out My Window Through the Pain" sounds very country. Of course, we all know the excitement that "Go On" has generated. "If It's Gonna Rain" is a very nice ballad and "Home Improvement" is very upbeat. "The Night's Just Right for Love" is really dreamy and beautiful. "You're Stronger Than Me" and "Which Side of the Glass are also very nice ballads. "She Took the Wind From His Sails" is a very pretty song but it is such a sad one too. George sounds so tender when he sings it. Actually, I think that this would make a very good video with the setting in a pretty seaside town. I can just picture George in it, but I think that everyone will cry buckets of tears in the end. It is very hard to pick a favourite song - they are all great but if I really had to choose, I would pick "If You can Do Anything Else" and "The Night's Just Right for Love" as my two most favourite songs, followed by "She Took the Wind From His Sails".

If people do not care for George's new album, all I can say is that they don't have any good taste in music and they can't tell a good singer from a bad one. George Strait has consistently been putting out quality country music for almost two decades and he did a great job (as always) of choosing songs that everyone can relate to. This album is a winner all the way. I highly recommend this album to every George Strait fan but then every GS fan probably has it anyway! The cover photo is very classic-looking and it's about time that he had a self-titled album!

I whole-heartedly disagree with the editorial review of this album. I don't know if Mr. John Morthland listens to much country music, but he should realize that George Strait is one of the modern day founding fathers of country. Make no mistake about it, George Strait hasn't sold out or "committed Murder on Music Row." Every song on this album is country from start to finish. Yes, not every song is appropriate for line dancing, but most of George's best songs aren't. The steel guitar still takes center stage in the sad ballad "The Night's Just Right for Love" and the song "You're Stronger Than Me" is a real country hit that has a very similar melody to his old classic "Get Out of my Arms." Of course the radio single, "Go On" is sure to hit number one soon, and anyone who has heard it understands that it's a true country song. I'm a huge fan of George Strait, and am very pleased with the quality of this album, it's thoughtfully done, and seems to draw a sound similar to his older stuff. It's not his best album, but how is anyone ever going to top songs like "Amarillo by Morning" and "Ace in the Hole." This album falls right in line with all of his previous albums and should be considered by every serious country fan.

Ofcourse I love George, I own most of his cds but this one was, like some other reviews have said, lacking something. As much as I love him there usually is one or two songs that I dont particularly care on all of his albums, but there are more than two here. He dosent write songs and that's the thing I've always kind of not liked about him, he's wrote a couple but that's it. He listens to hundreds upon hundreds of song and I know he heard songs that would have been better for this album, his song choice is questionable. But he's George, so you know there will be some songs that will be great, Like,"Go On", "Dont Make Me Come Over There And Love You", "If It's Gonna Rain". But all in all this is not George Strait's best album, I dont think that's a secret, maybe not even to George himself.

Is this Strait's best? No. But compared with most of the dreck out there in contemporary country, this is some outstanding stuff. Yes, Strait has gotten slicker over the years. Yes, there is a familiarity to much of the material. So what? These songs are good and solidly country with the exception of the AC leaning "She Took the Wind from his Sails." Did Morthland actually listen to this CD? Fiddles and Steel abound. "Home Improvement" and "You're Stronger than Me" are classic tunes with the nuanced vocals that only Strait could provide. These two songs alone are worth the price of this CD.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS THAT I HAVE HEARD IN A LONG TIME. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE REVIEWER AT ALL. THIS IS A MUST OWN FOR NOT JUST THE GEORGE STRAIT FAN BUT ANY FAN OF MUSIC PERIOD. THE VOCALS ARE JUST AWESOME AND THE SONGS ARE FIRST CLASS. I LOVE EVERY SONG ON THE ALBUM. SINCERELY,

JIM FAULKNER TCB