Now, for all of us country music/George Strait fans, that is all it takes for us to jump in the truck, pop in the Pure Country soundtrack or (insertyourfavoriteGeorgeStraitalbumhere) and break all land speed records to the local music store (IF you can find one) to buy the record. After listening to Love is Everything (over and over and over and over) I would advise that you avoid all Silverado's, F-150's, Dakota's and Tundra's on the roads of Kansas City for a week or so; they will be on a mission ("…from God") and you will NOT want to get in their way. With the release of Love is Everything, Mr. Strait continues his reign (lifelong, mayhaps?) as the "King of Country Music" and there is no end in sight (good!) for this living legend monarchy.
The difficulty of writing anything about Mr. Strait and/or his music is what do I have to say that has not already been written? The music, the awards, the #1 singles, the clothing, his devilishly handsome good looks have all been well documented and being repetitive is anathema for any writer. What I can tell you is that with these thirteen tracks, Mr. Strait continues to give us great, solid country music that is his very own. His rich baritone-tenor is easy on the ears, tranquil and as good as it has ever been! EVER been, imo. That's saying something for a man who began making music over 30 years ago. Getting better with age is not just a cliché here; Mr. Strait is and always has been the real deal when it comes to singing. Additionally, Mr. Strait has always been a tremendous storyteller, however, with this record, that story telling ability has reached an entirely new level. His innate ability to take simple words and paint colorful, meaningful and honest pictures it simply at its best with this record.
Mr. Strait has tackled the love theme and taken it to all new heights with Love is Everything. Each track relates to love gained; love lost and love thriving; this is a very consistent record in its theme and composition. Mr. Strait enlists his Ace in the Hole band to give us the quality sound that comes with a George Strait record. The continued use of the steel guitar and fiddle more than any other country music artist today is pure sweetness to the ears of us country music purists; nobody does that better than George Strait.
Mr. Strait, on this record, has given us poignancy, orneriness and fun in a little over 48 minutes. There is his trademark Texas swing music ("I Thought I Heard my Heart Sing"); a sentimental waltz ("Blue Melodies"); and some terrific introspection ("When the Credits Roll") as he, sadly, winds down the touring portion of his career. Make no mistake about it; Mr. Strait has vowed that he will continue to make music after his "Cowboy Rides Away" tour wraps up sometime in 2014. THAT is a good thing!
The thirteen tracks on Love is Everything are some of the finest, purest, listening country music you will hear this year. What else would you expect? "It's George-freakin'-Strait!"
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