The New Face of George Strait…Writer, Country Crooner & “Twang” …Good or Bad? George is already at the top?
Is it always a good thing to expand into other genres or does it lessen his impact as "KING OF COUNTRY MUSIC" (albeit a title that has been disputed by some)
"On his 26th studio album, country music king George Strait could have delivered another one of his classy, authentic and predictable batch of songs. Nobody would have complained, because Strait on auto-pilot is better than just about any freshly scrubbed pop singer posing as a country crooner.
But "Twang" ably presents a veteran artist willing to shake himself out of complacency. For starters, the disc includes three tunes Strait co-wrote, his first songwriting credits since 1982. All three are penned with his son, George "Bubba" Strait Jr. They include the elegant single, "Living for the Night," and the two-stepper, "He’s Got That Something Special." ”Arkansas Dave," a galloping story song crafted by Strait Jr., sounds like something Johnny Cash would have written, with its tale of murder and thievery.
Nothing, however, prepares you for Strait’s take on "El Rey," the legendary ranchera penned by Jose Alfredo Jimenez and popularized by Vicente Fernandez. Not only does the Texan roll his Rs, but he manages to inject the unbridled potency necessary to convincingly sing a ranchera — in Spanish, to boot.
Elsewhere, "Twang" goes from roadhouse rave-ups (Delbert McClinton’s "Same Kind of Crazy") to stately country ballads ("Beautiful Day for Goodbye"). After nearly three decades of influential country music, Strait has nothing to prove. How cool that Twang sounds as if he does."
August 24th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Out of a 10 star rating I would give this cd a strong 7. It’s not his best work, but it is worth adding to your collection. I wasn’t impressed with "living for the night" when it came out and still I am not to keen on that song. "Arkansas Dave" is a good song and I believe it would make a pretty kool video if and when it is released as a single. "El Rey" is one that I am hoping will be released as a single. I think he did a very good job recording this classic and I was amazed at how well he sung in spanish. Makes me wonder if he speaks spanish fluently. "Twang" is a pretty good upbeat song, it’s probably my second favorite on the album. "some kinda crazy" is alright also. The others are mediocre. As a songwriter I think he did ok. Only time will tell how well he did.
February 17th, 2010 at 4:30 am
I love this album, but I may be slightly biased. I have been a Strait fan since “Strait Country” appeared on the charts and I own every album. I agree that Mr. Strait sings “El Rey” to perfection. He never ceases to amaze me with his talent. I just saw him in concert in Phoenix and in Vegas and “El Rey” was a surprise encore because he had done “High Tone Woman” in Baltimore. It was well received and I think it would be a grait single. There is just no stopping the KING of Country!