Post by StevePulaski on Jul 16, 2015 21:35:35 GMT -5
Honkytonkville (2003)
By: George Strait
By: George Strait
Rating: ★★★
Armed with a few decades of unbridled country experience, and even some stray pop and rock ventures, George Strait bounces back full force with Honkytonkville, a country album that caters to the honkytonk sound in an uncompromising manner. With twelve tracks and topics ranging from love, heartbreak, and drinking, there's little stopping Strait when he hits a yodeling note or a finely tune key on this album; once he starts singing, it's rare for his tank to run out, or even low, on gas.
Strait opens with "She Used to Say That to Me," a real barroom weeper concerning a man who recalls the fond words of his ex that she now undoubtedly tells her latest fling. Any man who has ever fallen in love knows this feeling from the barrage of thoughts that race through his head on a daily basis and Strait nails that without being too weepy or saccharine. It's true, empathetic emotion that Strait nails and it sets a good thesis, as the album continually caters to those who have experienced what Strait is singing about throughout this album.
Strait continues on with songs like "I Found Jesus on the Jailhouse Floor," a song Merle Haggard would've written, and "Honk if You Honky Tonk," the kind of tune Hank would've cheerfully sung, both songs illustrating two very different moods for the genre. The former shows the kind of redemptive quality this music has for people, whilst the other shows the silly and spontaneous side quite effectively. "Desperately" has the kind of yodeling, melodic quality that Strait nails perfectly, emphasizing raw emotion and ritualistic patterns such as "making coffee for on" and turning on the radio, acting as if everything is all right, when really, things are far from it.
Honkytonkville, as rooted as it is in being a traditionalist album, is surprisingly loose in form and spirit. Strait is never too wooden he forgets to have personality or instrumental flair, nor is he rote enough to fall prey to convention. This is simply, in and of itself, a thoroughly pleasant, fun album that caters to a genre that's underappreciated by the current generation of country listeners.
Recommended tracks (in order): "Desperately," "I Found Jesuss on the Jailhouse Floor," "She Used to Say That to Me," and "Honkytonkville."