Somewhere Down in Texas

George Strait | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 28, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca Nashville
• ASIN: B0009GX23W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,917 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > Country > Western Swing

Editorial Reviews

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

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Entertainment Weekly June 24/July 1, 2005 - B+

Strait's 33rd CD is as solid as Nos. 32, 31, etc.

George has earned a spot alongside death and taxes on the proverbial list of things you can always count on.

He's one of those 800-lb. armadillos who can do pretty much whatever he wants.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of his best..., June 29, 2005

By 

J. E. Logan (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Somewhere Down in Texas (Audio CD)

George really goes out on a limb on this album and puts some big production in the back of his songs. But when you boil it down it still has the steel guitars and fiddles of all Strait songs. Put it down as you may but die-hard Strait fans, like myself, will totally enjoy this album and recommend to anyone who loves country music!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real, Traditional, Pure, Country Music, March 6, 2006

By 

M. Paul (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Somewhere Down in Texas (Audio CD)

Every song on this CD is great and I guarantee you will enjoy it unless...
a. You think the word "Badonkadonk" belongs in a country song.
b. You think Cowboy Troy is anything but rap.
c. You consider Big & Rich country.
If you do not agree with any of the above statements you will love this CD. This is country at its best from a REAL COUNTRY SINGER.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great as Always, and More Traditional Than Recent George, June 28, 2005

By 

AWU2 "Alan U." (New York, NY & Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Somewhere Down in Texas (Audio CD)

This album is a little more "Texas" than George's recent stuff. It starts with "If the Whole World Was A Honky Tonk" which is classic George. Then you have the title track that is along the lines of the slow tunes of the middle years. Track #3 "The Seashores of Old Mexico" was written by one of his biggest influences, Merle Haggard. "You'll be there" has already received well-deserved acclaim. "Good News, Bad News" a duet with LeAnn Womack (his first duet with a female recording artist, I think?) is enough to have anyone throw themselves off a bridge -- George Jones/Tammy Wynette come to mind. "Oh What a Perfect Day" is another track that would fit comfortably on past almbums such as Ocean Front Property. Fittingly "Texas" may be the best track on the album. It's hard to imagine any country artist today that's more Pure Country. Another outstanding effort. You can't be at the top this long unless you have this level of consistency.