Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
~yet another amazing album -- with the added touch of songwriting~, August 11, 2009
George Strait has routinely been releasing amazing music for the past 3 decades, so it comes as no big surprise that this album is again loaded with pure country gems. So what more could he possibly add after all these years, and his slew of #1 hits? Well, for the first time since the debut of his long career, George co-wrote 3 songs on the CD -- and his son, Bubba Strait, also had a hand in writing 4 songs on the album. Both of them teamed up to help pen the first single, "Living For The Night", which is an amazing ballad. It's one of the strongest singles of 2009, and is quickly becoming yet another huge hit for his collection. The whole album was recorded in Key West, Florida -- and it seems to have a nice overall laid back feel to it.
The title track, "Twang", is an upbeat and catchy single, and is bound to be his next sure-fire #1 hit. It's a pure classic country song with lots of twang, done in unique George Strait style. The second track on the CD, "Where Have I Been All My Life", slows things down a bit -- and it features a great tune with strong lyrics. It was co-written by Sherrie Austin, who a few years ago had a couple top 30 singles of her own ("Never Been Kissed" and "Streets Of Heaven"). "Where Have I Been All My Life" is a great ballad which reflects back on all the things that we may have missed out on earlier in our life, and is definitely one of the highlights on the album. "Easy As You Go" is a nice laid back song, and "Arkansas Dave" is another interesting tune -- which was written solely by Bubba Strait. It's a very simple traditional storytelling song, which has the feel of classic music released a few decades ago...Johnny Cash would be proud! The last song on the album, "El Rey", will be quite a surprise to many who aren't expecting it. It's entirely sung in Spanish -- similar to Mexican mariachi style of music. It has to be one of the most unusual songs that George has ever recorded, and it's most likely a love or hate type of tune. One thing is for sure, it's definitely an unexpected end to the album!
To me, "The Breath You Take" is by far the stand out track on the album. It's a simple song, not overproduced, and it's just so strong and powerful. It's one of the best songs I've heard in a long time, and I'm sure this will be a blockbuster hit single. It is such an inspirational ballad, and I think it seems to have a "Song Of The Year" nomination written all over it. You really have to take a listen to this song -- even if it's the only tune that you hear. Overall, George sounds just as strong as he's ever been, and I would definitely recommend this album!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strait's Loyal to the "Twang", August 11, 2009
Prime Cuts: The Breath You Take, Where Have I Been All My Life, Beautiful Day for Goodbye
Loyalty is the secret to Strait's success. Despite amassing a staggering 57 number 1 hits, Strait rarely disappoints: in fact, every CD is loaded with sing-a-long barn burners, pit and sawdust honky tonkers and his signature heart tugging ballads. Adopting such a winsome template "Twang," Strait's 26th studio album, is again bound to be voraciously devoured by his legion of fans. Strait's not only consistent in his audio output, but he is loyal to a small handful of songwriters who have first brought him to the dance. Faithfully he returns for the cream of their crop each year and here their names are again engraved in the song's credits. They include Jim Lauderdale, Dean Dillon, Steve Bogard and Rick Giles. However, lest naysayers yawn, thinking that all is predictable Strait does throw in a few curve balls this time: this CD finds Strait's adult son Bubba Strait coaxed his dad for his own three contributions. Further, Strait himself picks up his pen in co-writing three songs himself, something he has not done since the early 80s. Another surprise comes towards the end of the CD when Strait recorded an entirely Spanish song "El Rey."
As with most Strait albums the ballads are the highlights: Dean Dillon again tops the list of Strait writers with the best entries here. A gorgeous ballad in the tradition of "I Cross My Heart" and "True,""The Breath You Take" chronicles the highlights of the protagonist's life such as the time he met his wife, the birth of their child and so forth. While lead single "Living for the Night," another Dillon co-write with Strait and son Bubba, is a string-laden tortured barroom lament about a man so trapped in his pain that he only lives for the night drowning in booze. Wisdom comes with age and experience is the theme of the steel-drenched "Where Have I Been All My Life," which is surprisingly co-written by former Arista artist Sherrie Austin. After hearing the way Strait slowly nuances and caresses each word of the heartbreaking "Beautiful Day for Goodbye," one is tempted to place Strait on the same pedestal as some of country music most venerated crooners such as Vern Gosdin and George Jones.
When the tempo picks up, Jim Lauderdale's co-write "I Gotta Get to You," despite its cheesy lyrics, spells a future number one hit for Strait. A few plays of "I Gotta Get to You" will certainly get one hooked to its infectiously melodic line. "Arkansas Dave," a twist-ending tale involving an old gunslinger, is the panacea to the current epidemic of songs dearth of depth and imagination. Though written by young Bubba Strait, "Arkansas Dave" has a fermented age to it harkening back to the story songs of Kenny Rogers and Johnny Cash in the 70s. Further, Strait indulges in some swampy blues with a cover of Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy." Though Strait offers his pledge of allegiance to country music, the title cut "Twang" could have been more anthemic if it weren't for its average melody.
The big buzz here is "El Rey," a song recorded entirely in Spanish. Though this is the first time Strait has crossed the linguistic boundary, "El Rey" (which means "The King") a tune that exalts masculinity, sounds like any upbeat mandolin-led Spanish tune out there. And despite Strait sounding very much like a native Spanish speaker, the song just doesn't live up to its hype. However such cavils in no way tarnishes "Twang" as a consistent good album from Strait. Anyone who has had loved Strait's vast catalog will find much to delight in here--the ballads in particular are tantalizingly great.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The King Still Reigns, August 13, 2009
After nearly three decades of recording, more number-one singles than any other artist in history, a Country Music Hall of Fame induction, and creating the template for the perfect country music career, one could almost expect George Strait to phone in his albums and take it easy. After all, he probably could record a list of Texas cattle futures and earn another Album Of The Year nomination; he's just that good. However, Strait's 41st album, Twang, finds the most recent Artist of The Decade venturing into new territory. He takes risks, and he clearly has no intention of taking his last curtain call anytime soon.
For starters, Strait takes on the role of songwriter - something that hasn't happened since his second album, Strait From The Heart, in 1982 (the song was "I Can't See Texas From Here"). He collaborates with son Bubba and longtime Strait tunesmith Dean Dillon ("The Chair," and "Marina Del Rey," among dozens more). The result? Strait contributes to three songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with anything he's recorded before - most notably, the smooth and heartbreaking "Living For The Night," the album's first single. "He's Got That Something Special" is a country toe-tapper, defying the listener not to sing along. Father and son craft a classic barroom tearjerker, "Out Of Sight Out Of Mind," which is pure Strait, through and through. Bubba Strait also adds "Arkansas Dave," a murderous story song, reminiscent of material Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash would have recorded in the `70's.
Elsewhere, Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon and Casey Beathard's "The Breath You Take" provides the album's emotional cornerstone. Strait works his magic, taking a clichéd line like " Life's not the breath you take/But the moments that take your breath away" and skillfully makes it resonate. The song is one of the most beautiful to ever appear on a George Strait album, and it deserves to be a future single. The sure-fire second single is the roof-raising title track. Other fun moments include "Some Kind of Crazy" and "Hot Grease and Zydeco," which is sure to become a staple in Strait's live shows.
The album's biggest surprise is saved for last: "El Rey" is a Mexican folk song that he sings - quite convincingly - completely in Spanish. If the country music thing doesn't work out for him, Strait could easily have a career on the Tejano circuit. The title translates to "The King," and the last lines read: "A cowboy told me/You don't have to arrive first/but just know how to arrive." Appropriately, this sums up Strait's career thus far. His has been a journey of class, consistency and influence, with great humility.
The King, indeed.
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