Reviews by Bobby Reed
George Strait
Somewhere Down in Texas
MCA
The don't call him King George for nothing. Strait remains at the peak of his interpretive powers by sticking to the recipe of modern honky tonk and Western swing that made him a star in the spring of 1981-before Kelly Clarkson, LeAnn Rimes, and Britney Spears were even born.
The highlight here is "Good News, Bad News,'' a heartbreaking duet that pairs Strait's rich baritone with Lee Ann Womack's supple soprano. Strait celebrates his homeland in the tune "Texas'' and in the title cut, in which a road-weary musician contemplates retirement. As long as Strait keeps making albums as sterling as this one, many folks will hope that his retirement is way down the road.
Dwight Yoakam
Blame the Vain
New West
Dwight Yoakam's latest album is the work of a brilliant veteran who has mastered a new challenge. Recording without his long-time guitarist/producer Pete Anderson, Yoakam delivers exactly what his faithful fans expect: twangy, energetic, economical tracks that owe a debt to both Buck Owens and Elvis Presley. The title cut, "Blame the Vain" and "I'll Pretend'' are vintage Yoakam. The Kentucky native was the subject of a superb, four-disc box set back in 2002, but the two studio albums he has released since then have made that pricey career retrospective incomplete.
Patty Loveless
Dreamin' My Dreams
Epic
Since 2001, country superstar Patty Loveless has emphasized a rootsy, acoustic-based sound on her albums. Teamed with her producer/husband Emory Gordy, Jr., Loveless has a remarkable knack for developing fresh arrangements of previously recorded material, such as Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues'' and Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy.'' The use of fiddle and steel guitar helps transform folk artist Richard Thompson's "Keep Your Distance'' into a country gem. Loveless also shines on a remake of "Dreaming My Dreams with You," which was first popularized by Waylon Jennings.
