Added: December 2009
tonk after work for Some peddle steel whining like a whistle of an old freight train music. The song itself plays just like the songs it describes would.
Following “Twang” is the reflective track, “Where Have I Been All My Life.” The song tells the story of a man who looks back on his life and the man he has become, wondering where that man has been. The man he is now likes broccoli, can't believe his parents have aged and finally understands the meaning of Louis Armstrong's “What a Wonderful World.” The listener can't help but wonder if Strait is singing about himself on this cut.
“Easy As You Go” and “Beautiful Day for Goodbye” are two standout ballads on Twang. “Beautiful Day Goodbye” uses the weather as a metaphor for watching his lover leave. The day is beautiful as she prepares to leave, betraying the tears she shed the night before. He prays for rain and cold because maybe she would need him to hold her then instead of having to watch her go. “Easy As You Go” is about rolling with the punches that life hands out, taking each up and down as they come.
One of the most beautiful songs on the album is “The Breath You Take.” The saying 'Life is not the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away' is used in this song which follows a father and son through life. It begins with the son playing baseball, surprised to see his dad had missed a flight to be at his game and ends with the son becoming a father and as his father passes on.
Two songs, “Arkansas Dave,” and “El Rey,” are very different from anything Strait has done recently. “Arkansas Dave,” written solely by Bubba Strait is a traditional folk narrative which is said to have been cut 'for the sake of art.' With “El Rey,” Strait sings entirely in Spanish – and does so convincingly.
Twang is as solid as George Strait's career. Tracks outside of Strait's comfort zone make Twang one of the more stand out albums Strait has released in recent years, proving King George is still the king of country music.
George Strait: 'Twang' – Album Review
by Sarah Wyland
George Strait is, well, George Strait. He has perfected the art of record making over the decades. On his latest album, Twang, he not only continues his tradition of churning out hit songs, he also mixes up the tracks, giving fans everything from up tempo tracks to heartfelt ballads to an entire song in Spanish. Strait also co-wrote three tracks on the album and his son, Bubba Strait, had a hand in writing four of them.
“Twang,” the album's title track, kicks things off. It is a toe tapper about heading down to the honky
