George Strait

Some 25 years into his career, George Strait remains one of country music's most commercially successful artists, and Troubadour proves why. From the Caribbean lilt of "River of Love" to the reverential "I Saw God Today" to the honky-tonkin' trucking song "Brothers of the Highway" to the carefree Western swing of "West Texas Town," Strait runs the gamut of sounds and emotions, and aces them all. One of the few artists who can achieve commercial success without courting it, Strait remains true to the honky-tonk-inspired sound he started out with decades ago.

Like a bottle of Heinz ketchup on a diner counter, a George Strait album is a reassuring
product. At fifty-five, dude's spent his life making fairly low-bullshit, high-yield mainstream
country: Since 1981's Strait Country, his LPs have gone platinum or better thirty-two times,
and the four-CD anthology Strait Out of the Box has shifted 8 million units. That's a lot of
Resistol cowboy hats, pardner (although thanks to his endorsement deal, Strait n... More >