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For one of country's most admired and consistently pleasing vocalists, with no iota of crossover into pop, you couldn't ask for better than George Strait and his new CD "Honkytonkville!"


How can George top this?   June 13, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I didn't become a George Strait fan until the early '90s, when he did Pure Country. I've always admired his music, though. George hasn't gone "country-pop", but instead he has stuck with authentic country songs, and that formula has made him successful.

Honkytonkville, George's latest record, has produced three solid hits. The mellow ballads "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa" and "Desperately", both about longing for an old love, rank up there with George's classic lost-love songs "You Look So Good In Love", "A Fire I Can't Put Out" and "Meanwhile". "Cowboys Like Us", about a couple of buddies riding out in their "steel horses"(pickup trucks) to have a good time, is another big hit off this record. The song "Look Who's Back From Town", about the guy meeting up with his old flame after her rich lover ditched her, is still another great song. "Heaven Is Missing An Angel" and "My Infinite Love" are positive love songs.

Most of Honkytonkville, though, is uptempo. Upbeat songs("Unwound", "Down And Out", and "Right or Wrong", for instance) are what first made George a star. He has a lot of upbeat material on this record. "She Used To Say That To Me", "Honk If You Honky Tonk", "As Far As It Goes", "Four Down And Twelve Across" and the title song "Honkytonkville" are all bouncy, enjoyable songs. My favorite here, though, is the swinging song "I Found Jesus On The Jailhouse Floor". In the song, the speaker has a religious experience after he's arrested for drunkenness, and now he wants to tell everybody. In "I Found Jesus On The Jailhouse Floor", George not only puts a new twist on an already familiar theme, but he makes it sound convincing. Finding original ways of expressing things has been a strength of George's for years, although he doesn't do any of his own songwriting.

In summary, I think George has come out with a great album in Honkytonkville. This record has been out for a year, and people are still buying it. It is easily his best work in quite a while.


King George Still at the Top with New Release Honkytonkville   June 11, 2003
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Honkytonkville, George Straits 31st album is one of the best country album releases of the summer. Coming off of his last album, For the Last Time: Live From the Astrodome, this new material is just what he needed to stay atop the country charts.

The album, with vocals to all the tracks being recorded at George's home in Texas, returns his sound to previous hit records like "One Step at A Time" and "Carrying Your Love with Me." His country roots shine here and every song captures you with a catchy beat. Sure hits on this record are "She Used to Say that To Me", "Honk if you Honky Tonk", "Honkytonkville", "Cowboys Like Us" and the current radio smash "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa"

This album is a must to add to your George Strait collection. The King of country music once again shines and proves to his fans that he has much more road to travel, and many more hits to come.


George Did it Again With Honkytonkville   June 11, 2003
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

In 2001 George came out with The Road Less Traveled and it was great. One of his best albums in years. So, when I went out to get Honkytonkville I wasn't sure if would be as good. Well it is and it may even be better. Everytime I listen to it I love it more and more.
First, it starts out with two honky tonk songs: SHE USED TO SAY THAT TO ME, and HONKYTONKVILLE. They both will get your toe tappin. LOOK WHO'S BACK FROM TOWN is a good song about a woman who comes back to her country man, after her city boy dumps her. It's kind of funny because she dumps the country boy to be with the city boy. It's a song that only George can pull off. Then, there's COWBOY'S LIKE US this is a great song about the Cowboys life that has that old western day feel to it. TELL ME SOMETHING BAD ABOUT TULSA is George's new single and if you haven't heard it well it's great.
Next, AS FAR AS IT GOES may be the best song on the whole album. It's a beautiful love song. The lyrics will blow your mind. It's one of his best songs in a long time. It's up there with CARRYING YOUR LOVE WITH ME. Moving along I FOUND JESUS ON THE JAILHOUSE FLOOR is a good song about a man who finds Jesus in jail. DESPERATELY is a great song about a man who is still in love with an old flame. It sounds like a song the great Don Williams would have done.
The 9th song on the album is HONK IF YOU HONKY TONK which is another honky tonk song, and just might be the second best song on the album. But with so many great songs it's hard to say. This along with AS FAR AS IT GOES would make great singles. HEAVEN IS MISSING AN ANGEL is another good love song. How many times has a man said heaven must be missing an angel to a woman. It's about time someone wrote a song about it, and the best part is George is singing it. Next, FOUR DOWN AND TWELVE ACROSS is a very clever song. A man is doing a crossword puzzle about his troubling relationship. It's a witty song that once again only Strait can pull off. To end the album George sings MY INFINITE LOVE a great love song about a man's infinite love for his lover. This is a song the more you hear it the more you love it.
All I can say is HONKYTONKVILLE is great, and if your a George fan it's a must have. If your new to country music grab this and hear what real country music sounds like. George is the man and he proves there is no slowing down THE KING OF COUNTRY MUSIC. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be heading to HONKYTONKVILLE.