Album Review: George Strait – Twang

Have you been paying attention to the press releases?

I think I just read one thing about how this album takes risks or something, but didn’t really expect it to be true. Press releases always embellish a bit, so I don’t take them especially seriously.

Pierce’s last sentence describes how I feel about the album. I like it almost as much as It Just Comes Natural, which is my favorite recent Strait album.

I think this is my favorite Strait record since I’ve been reviewing them (i.e., since 2001). And “Arkansas Dave” is the bomb.

Well this will be the 26th George Strait studio album in a row I’ve had no interest in purchasing.I’ve always considered George far more of a performer than an artist and his vocals just don’t convey much emotion as far as I’m concerned. Hearing George’s singles on radio was as much as I ever cared to hear. I can understand why he is so popular but he’s not my cup of tea. If I were buying an album this week my choice would be between The Hot Club of Cowtown and Wade Hayes and “Twang” wouldn’t even cross my mind. I bet Rodney Hayden’s “12 Ounce World” kicks the crap out “Twang” in terms of being a real country record…

So, Jim, was this review in direct response to the Ken Tucker article that Brody linked too (Brady’s link above) then?

My review has nothing to do with Ken Tucker.

Kelly…he recorded a song that has a title which is his nickname. Think about that.

Sorry. I meant “King George, not “King Jones.”

I guess I just don’t find it quite so inflamatory.

I don’t mean this observation as anything more than an observation, but it almost seems like this album or positive comments regarding it made you angry (or at least annoyed), though I’m sure I’m just reading into it.

Jim – I agree that the title or the song itself isnt surprising per se, but the choice to do the song in the manner in which he did surely is. Spanish language standards are hardly the norm in todays beging and overly-predictable Top 40 realm of Country…

I couldnt tell you why it’s on there, thats exactly why its quite surprising to me. It’s nothing major, just the other songs make sense and are par for the course when compared to his prior releases (as you noted effectively in the review). I guess I just dont see that type of history with a song like El Rey. You asked me to tell you how it fits on the record. I cant say that it does, and again, thats why its surprising and was anything but predictable for me.

Ditto to Kelly.

As far as reading your review? I did.

“King George” is singing a song with a title that translates to “The King?” Tell me the obviousness of that doesn’t just smack you in the face while screaming, “Hey! I’m clever! Look at how clever I am!””

Your tone here suggested that you were pretty disgusted. At least that’s how I read it on “paper.” Perhaps I’d get a different sense if you were saying it to me directly.

Brady better said what I was trying to say in my comment at 12:36.

that should be “wrote above about the tone…” not “about about”

So, is “The King of Broken Hearts” too predictable then?:)

I would have to say that his album is better than Troubador. I think TWANG is on of the best albums he’s cut in the past ten years. Although they all been great to me.

Some say this is normal for George, that he always puts out a good album and this one isn’t mind blowing, well that is ok to have that opinion. What i don’t like about this review is, the writer seems upset that the King of Country music put out another great album. George has been singing for almost over 30 years and putting out GRAIT albums since the beginning. We should be happy as________- that we have an artist in country that can still make almost complete great albums year after year, and yes he puts one out almost every year or a year and a half. I love george and i hope he continues to do what he does……for those of you that don’t love what he does don’t have the heart for country. Look around, how much more pop country(t. swift) are we going to have to deal with? i say LONG LIVE THE KING! And he WILL!

KEEP TWANGING YALL!

I actually found this album to be a bit of a departure for him. None of the tracks felt like “filler” to me at all. They all seemed well-written and -sung, even if “The Breath You Take” is borderline motivational-poster song.

I accept your review, Jim, even if it seemed a little snarky. (Snark seems to be your muse.) I’m not gonna shoot you down for disagreeing with me, but I’m a bit surprised at what you said just the same. That, and I certainly don’t want to start a 9513-Roughstock rivalry (I wrote the Roughstock review).

I just don’t understand the uptempo rock-ish crap. “Twang”, “Same Kind Of Crazy”, and “Hot Grease And Zydeco” just seem like album filler fluff, and I really don’t expect that from such a legend. Thankfully there are some high points though, such as “Arkansas Dave” like everyone else has been mentioning, “Where Have I Been All My Life?”, “Beautiful Day For Goodbye”, and “The Breath You Take”. The other ones are also for the most part pretty solid songs you’d expect Strait to take on. Except for “El Rey”… definitely put me in the bunch that doesn’t find this neat or cool or talented or whatever… it’s just dumb nonsense for a country album.

I actually like “Twang.” “Same Kind of Crazy” was also recorded by Patty Loveless, but Strait’s version is better.

I’ve only listened to the album up to “Arkansas Dave”, so I can only speak for those songs, but I like what I’ve heard so far. It isn’t mind blowing by any means, but I feel like its a step above Troubadour, but perhaps a step below It Just Comes Natural, as far as quality goes.

As far as “El Rey” goes, I wasn’t in the room when the decision to include it was made, so I would feel uncomfortable speaking to that. I like the way the Spanish language sounds, so I’ll probably like the song, if at least as a novelty kind of thing.

Jason and Highwayman- you’re hardcore George Strait fans, obviously. That’s great. I loved George – but not very far past #7. If you’re a hardcore George Strait fan, I know that it sounds awful, and I do apologize.

That’s the beauty of hardcore fans – they keep loving an artist because they love the artist.

George just got more mainstream (although he’s always been more “country” than the mainstream) than I could handle. No disrespect to George – he’s arguably one of the most influential country artists of our time.

I haven’t listened to any albums of his since “If You Ain’t Lovin, You Ain’t Livin” – I’d hear a single of his on the radio and it just didn’t make me want to hear more.

I just miss the traditionalist movement of the 80s. And George back then was amazing.

“And it will be difficult to argue that those awards aren’t warranted.”

Funny to read this in a review devoted mostly to doing just that.

I’m also curious as to when taking risks became a relevant criterion by which to evaluate country records.

If’s he has the same backing band since ‘92, then why can’t he make another album like “Easy Come, Easy Go”?

What is wrong with you people? All Im reading is mind blowing and revolutionary, etc. George is none of that. And his fans dont expect that from him. He puts out the same consistant music every single album and look where it has gotten him. 30 years in the business some would dream of. Let others be revolutionary. Cause those others are the ones who’s popularity have taken a turn for the worst. Twang is country music. You want revolutionary? At least George still has the guts to still put the fiddle and steal guitar in his music. I see this website is for what country music has become. Candy Country for little girls. Go listen to your crappy Taylor Swift.

seriously?? George is George and that is why fans flock to his concerts and buy his every CD. It is a great album. If you prefer the new less country stuff and the less talented artists… go for it. But DO NOT put down the king of country!!

Chris N., Me too. Bluegrass DOES sound like the same record over and over. But I don’t think George Strait albums do.

No, I think they’ll be warranted. And I think it’s pretty clear that my review says as much. “But I’ll look forward to reading your review, which I’m certain will be published in a very widely read paper or magazine somewhere.
But I’ll look forward to reading your review, which I’m certain will be published in a very widely read paper or magazine somewhere.”

Ah. This sounds too much like the reverse of “What right do you have to criticize a song when you haven’t written a hit song” argument that’s never worked for me.

The difference, of course, Leeann is that we all know Jon is capable of writing good reviews, and that he has written good reviews in the past.

Snarky, perhaps, but I’d actually like to read his review.

I’m slow today, too. It’s been one of those weeks. Are we in a full moon or something?

I like this album, I think its one of his better ones in the last decade. Some say that he isn’t pushing his limits as much as some say he is. However, I think its fair to say for Strait he is pushing his limits, especially when you consider he is even writing some of the material on this album.

Is this better than “It Just Comes Natural?”. Now that was a tight album!

“‘Funny to read this in a review devoted mostly to doing just that.’
No, I think they’ll be warranted. And I think it’s pretty clear that my review says as much.”

Well, I disagree that that’s clear, at least to me. If an album’s full of “boring repetition” with only a few excellent cuts and a lot of forgettable filler, why does it warrant awards?

“But I’ll look forward to reading your review, which I’m certain will be published in a very widely read paper or magazine somewhere.”

I’m not surprised that it’s escaped your attention – I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to be keeping a watchful eye on my career – but in fact, I haven’t written a review of anything at all since No Depression folded its print edition, and I hadn’t written more than a handful of reviews going back several years before that. I’m mostly out of the journalism bidness these days, so I hope you weren’t looking forward to that too much.

Chris N., if you’re hearing the same record over and over again in the bluegrass releases you’re getting, maybe you’re listening for the wrong things – i.e., maybe too much for concept and not enough for execution. Oddly enough, I think roots music genres bear a kind of curious similarity to classical music in that regard – and yes, I know that may be too compressed an argument to be comprehensible, but it’s all I have time for now ;-).

What a bunch of fools. There is several possible #1 hits on this CD, including: Where Have I Been All My Life, Easy As You Go, Living For The Night, and The Breath You Take.

“Twang” will win several album of the year awards, and rightfully so. As far as stretching his boundaries, “El Rey” and “Hot Grease and Zydeco” certainly do that.

I will take the consistency of George Strait any day over the crap that Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts are feeding the blind sheep out their.

You guys keep the “fun in the sun, let’s have a beach party” songs. I’ll keep real country music from one of the few who know how to do it well: King George.

I’d like to see ‘The King of Broken Hearts: A Tribute to Jim Lauderdale’, where instead of cutting two Jim Lauderdale tracks, every track on the record is a Jim Lauderdale tune. It could include new songs and songs King George never cut but were recorded by other artists like You Don’t Seem To Miss Me or Whisper. Actually now that I think about it: George Strait and Jamey Johnson sing Doin’ Time In Bakersfield. Can you hear it now? Playing honky tonk sonatas in a room without a view…

No, it seems perfectly sane and logical to make those conclusions.

Why does it annoy you that the album is decent?

I called it “annoyingly decent” because an album recreated for the 26th time shouldn’t be good the 26th time around. But it is, and that’s a credit to Strait.

26 recreations is an exaggeration. But if you don’t see the similarities between the composition and construction of every Strait album since Pure Country, then I don’t think you’re looking very closely.

And this is exactly why I commented on the inclusion of “El Rey” in the first place–including one Mexican folk song doesn’t suddenly transform an otherwise typical effort into something profound or unique. It’s a George Strait album with a Mexican folk song.

This is the first time I’ve ever read a
review by you. I do know this much. The
most irrelevant comment was the Garth
Brooks line. Brooks doesn’t even belong in
the same category as Strait. It’s like
comparing your work to Chet Flippo. You
don’t belong in the same sentence with a
legend like Flippo. The other irrelevant
comment in your review was how “Twang”
would be irrelevant a year from now. This
is Strait’s best album ever and will go
down as such. There is more variety on
this relsease and his venture back into
songwriting deserves at least a mention
by you. How do you not even make note of
it? Unbelievable! As far as your review,
forgettable as far as I’m concerned. I would
be surprised if Strait even enjoys the
nickname “King George.” He probably looks
at it the same way Elvis did. Elvis hated
being called the “King.” Trying to tie
“El Rey” to Strait being nicknamed “King
George” is quite a stretch on your part.
And finally, produce the quote from Strait
saying anything about this release being
“mind-blowing.” I watched the entire Strait
interview on the MCA website about “Twang”
and didn’t see anything close to that. He
was as humble as he’s always been.

“26 recreations is an exaggeration. But if you don’t see the similarities between the composition and construction of every Strait album since Pure Country, then I don’t think you’re looking very closely.”

Yet to be answered is the question of why this is a bad thing, unless you believe that songs and performances are pretty much fungible – and therefore not really very interesting in and of themselves – so that albums have to be different in composition and construction in order to be truly meritorious. And in my opinion, such a belief runs counter to aesthetic (sorry) values that are pretty much intrinsic to country music.

Does it not seem contradictory to you to simultaneously argue that an album is stagnant yet decent? To be sure, there have been times when Strait could have shaken things up a bit more, but I think there was an effort to do so this time, which you seem to be overlooking.

To be sure, there are artists that become stagnant and offer recycled product, but they tend to crash and burn rather quickly. It’s not possible to sustain a career that is stagnant for nearly 30 years.

You’re full of crap. George’s consistency is what makes him the incredible artist that he is. And seeing as how I have every one of George’s albums and know every song by heart, I consider myself somewhat of a ‘George Strait buff’ and proudly say that Twang is one of my favorite albums that George has ever made.

You’re welcome to that opinion. I disagree with you, obviously, and would urge you to go back and re-listen to those post 1993 albums. But of course we don’t have to agree on this.

I think, despite what any of us think, from a commercial standpoint, the mans got it figured out. At the end of the day, I think its pretty obvious that George Strait, at this point at least, is in it for the sole purpose that its his job. In my opinion, he’s never struck me as someone that needs to make music. He talks often about how he wont pick up a guitar once between tours and if he’s not recording an album.

I know i’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll mention it again: I don’t know when being artistically profound was a requirement. Music is a business. The key for a lot of artists is to find enough new to keep people interested, but enough of the same to not spook anyone. Yes, he probably could have recorded an album that had a lot more variation than Twang does. He could have stretched his artistic legs a little more. But then again, why don’t we ask Chris Gaines how well a move like that can work out.

Point taken–but if critics didn’t examine the artistic profoundness of an album there would be little reason to review an album. Does anyone really want me to write a review detailing whether or not an album will sell a lot of records? I could go through, point-by-point, based on my music business education and industry experience, and make what would most likely be a relatively accurate prediction.

But what would be the point of that? I might as well go get a job at a label.

I don’t think readers read reviews to help them make buying decisions. I think readers read reviews because they want to have a deeper understanding or familiarity with the music in question. Perhaps a wonderful review can influence some minds, but our main value to the musical community is being a source of well-informed, thoughtful commentary that inspires people to think, discuss, argue and explore.

“I’m just saying there’s commercial danger in stretching that creative muscle too far.”

There can be, and I think this is especially true in country music. The core country audience has never impressed me as being especially interested in creative exploration, and I honestly think that’s something artists struggle with. Some of these guys which they could be stretching their creative muscles, but they can’t. Even Rucker is an example of this–the guy turned in an album of stuff that was “too country.”

“‘Yet to be answered is why you think that just because I happen to be writing for an online publication I am required to answer every question posed about one of my reviews.”

I don’t think that. I made a simple statement of fact: the question I raised hadn’t been answered. Although the fact that you’re resposnsible for about 1/5 of all the comments made about this review suggests to me that you might answer a reasonably framed and apposite question; you’re not exactly taking a hands-off position here.

“Just because I recognize the fungible nature of similar songs and performances…”

Well, um, the point is that whether and to what extent songs and performances are similar is, in at least some respects, a matter of perspective. There are certainly plenty of listeners – some of them have weighed in on the topic already – for whom these songs and performances of Strait’s are sufficiently distinguishable from others.

“The reason, of course, if because once you’ve seen 26 pictures of fruit baskets, you’re going to start looking for–and rightfully expecting–variations. An artist who draws essentially the same fruit basket over and over may in fact be creating art that people will enjoy by hanging on their walls, but there is little creative exploration involved in replicating the same thing over and over. And when there is little creative exploration involved in production, the product is more a craft than a piece of art.”

Well, that’s one way to look at it (though why you should need to resort to analogies is a little mysterious; can’t you talk about music as music?). But it’s not the only way to look at it, and in fact – to stick with your painting analogy – it may simply be that you’re looking at the pictures from too far away, or not taking enough time to look at them, like a guy who walks into an exhibit of abstract art and walks out five minutes later saying “they all look the same.” Or, returning to music, like the guy who says “I’ve got one recording of Beethoven’s Fifth, and since all of them have the same notes, why would I want more than one?” Those guys are certainly entitled to their opinions, but I don’t know that I would describe them as educated, experience and well-informed. Even if they would.

As for the distinction between craft and art, let me suggest that to the extent that it exists, it resides someplace other than in the degree of creative “exploration” – which is used here as a covert synonym for “doing something obviously, unmistakably different than what you’ve done before” – that A Critic discerns in a piece of work.

Forgot to add “Living For The Night” to my original post about the keepers of the album… I always forget about the pre-album release singles when looking at albums in my iTunes since they were added earlier.

After quite a few more listens, I’m going to go with “Beautiful Day For Goodbye” as my favorite so far. Simple yet strong, and a flawless delivery.

How I miss the George Strait of the 80’s and early 90’s.

That’s a pretty bold statement to make about El Ray in suggesting George did it on an ego trip. This is not George’s style of marketing. Have you even read the lyrics to El Ray? The word king is used in one line in the chorus though it is repeated. it refers to a man who has separated from his lover and no one understands him but in his mind he is still king. It is a lot like “The King of Broken Hearts” and fits with his style of lyrics yet you want to seize it because of the title and make yourself look smart. Perhaps you should then speculate that when he recorded “Marina Del Ray” that he was foretelling or suggesting what his title would some day be!

Sigh.

Songlations anyone? http://community.livejournal.com/songlations/23736.html

Yo sé bien que estoy afuera
Pero el día que yo me muera
Sé que tendrás que llorar
(Llorar y llorar, x2)

I am fully aware that I am out
But the day that I die
I know that you will have to cry
(Cry and cry, x2)

Dirás que no me quisiste
Pero vas a estar muy triste
Y así te vas a quedar

You will say that you did not love me
But you will be very sad
And that is how you will stay

Chorus:
————————————-
Con dinero y sin dinero
Hago siempre lo que quiero
Y mi palabra es la ley

With money and without money
I always do what I want
And my word is law

No tengo trono ni reina
Ni nadie que me comprenda
Pero sigo siendo el rey

I have no throne nor queen
Nor anyone who understands me
But I continue being king
————————————-

Una piedra en el camino
Me enseño que mi destino
Era rodar y rodar
(Rodar y rodar, x2)

A stone on the road
Taught me that my destiny
Was to roll and roll [*rodar = to roll; to roam]
(To roll and roll, x2)

Después me dijo un arriero
Que no hay que llegar primero
Pero hay que saber llegar

Afterwards an arriero told me
That one need not make it first [*llegar = to make it, to arrive]
But one must know how to make it

[Chorus]

Or else there is always http://babelfish.yahoo.com Bablefish
It can traslate from and to a great many languages. Now can we all untwist our knickers about the song being in Spanish?

I read most reviews on here and the reviewer and others on here just over analyze every lyric and song and sometimes you just need to like a record because you like it instead of disecting it. To me a reviewer’s opinion is no better than anyone else’s. Everyone hs they likes and dislikes and opinions.

rodney,

I do know what real country music is and I don’t hear very much of it on this effort. I’ve been a fan of Strait’s since the mid 80’s. Over the last decade and a half I’ve been disappointed in his music more often than not.

This review is nothing but the ranting of a jealous never-was want to-be country singer trashing on someone who is popular for the sake of publicity, and that is blatantly obvious.

The author acknowledges that one of the best qualities George Strait offers to the music industry is his ability to remain relevant and consistent, but then turns to say that consistency is boring. This argument should make anyone interested in music a bit suspicious of this particular reviewer. Of course what could be more logical than to reject years of conventional wisdom proving that consistency, when done right, is a valuable asset to any musician.

Then to ad insult to his review he is willing to assert that George Strait is some sort of egocentric freak using the title of the song ‘El Rey’ to suggest that he is King; and everybody has been dumb enough to believe that he is actually a modest, humble singer and rancher. That is an insult not only to a beloved country music icon, but also to generations of fans.

The writer then proceeds to create a glorious straw man fallacy by suggesting that anyone is proclaiming the album to be mind blowing. The CD isn’t ‘hyped’ at all to my knowledge. The only thing I’d heard said about it were the date it went on sale and that it looked like it would be another great album from George Strait. That’s an accurate description.

The industry is full of creeps like this who write only trash to draw attention because they themselves could not be successful at doing the job they are so quick to criticize the next guy for doing, and then accept money to do it. I hope that the credibility of this writer is viewed by the public as being completely shot, and he will be dismissed from his post as ‘professional reviewer’, an occupation becoming more and more out dated with the times, as now anyone who has heard a piece of an artists work can quickly and easily share their opinions over the internet for free.

With that out of the way I would like to speak about the music itself so that people with an interest in potentially buying the CD can make an informed decision about the album. In my personal opinion, the album is a good piece of work by a great singer. It offers a wide variety of songs with a few songs of reflection, a few chart-worthy country radio songs, and some fun, up-beat swinging songs. In one of the few points, if not the only one, that I can agree with the writer about is “If you liked the last one, you’ll like this one” because George is just as can be expected, great. “[It] is a typical George Strait album, ripe with a few excellent cuts.” (In case you read only my comment I would like to make it clear that I give the reviewer more credit than is deserved with that quote as I left out his remark about the most of it being filler.)

Weather you’re a long time fan or a newcomer to the world of country music I believe that you will find the album to be a very enjoyable work that does range in emotion, and offers a feel of what country music should be. If you don’t believe me, all of the tracks are available on the internet to be heard or you can get a copy for yourself.

P.S. If the proprietors of this website or any other would like to throw their money away to have someone with no experience criticizing other people’s work, you can see that I am available and have a knack for criticizing, so call me and I’ll do it for half the price.

George Strait’s new album Twang is the bomb!!!! I absolutely LOVE it, even the last song on the album, El Rey. Yes, its a little different from the other stuff he’s done but that dont matter cause its great. After listening to CD after CD its nice to hear something a little different. But it don’t matter what kind of song he sings. . . He’s still the KING and always will be!!!!