(EBM) It's been 15 years since The New York Times distinguished George Strait as "a country superstar in complete command of his gift," and with the arrival of his 31st studio album for MCA, Cowboys And Dreamers, that statement rings just as true today. Filled with classic country honky-tonkers about drinkin' and not thinkin' as well as sad songs and ballads about loss and cheatin'.
Dedicated to three of Strait's very good, longtime friends and collaborators who he lost this year - manager Erv Woolsey, road manager Tom Foote and fiddler Gene Elders who plays on four tracks on this album - the Texas Troubadour shared, "I will never forget all of the good times we had together."
Produced by Chuck Ainlay, who has been mixing Strait records since 1985, Tony Brown (Strait's 1993's Easy Come, Easy Go; 2008's Troubadour) and Strait, the album's title comes from a song penned by Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait.
"It is a really cool song," shared Strait of the title track. "So cool that I thought that I should name the whole album after it. And sometimes I feel like the last of a dying breed trying to find where I fit. That pretty much says it all. 'Somewhere between high on top of the world, and fighting with calling it quits.'" While the Keith Gattis reaffirming "Wish I Could Say" offers, 'Wish I could tell you how the world ain't ended, And how it's all going to be ok.'
The follow-up to Honky Tonk Time Machine, Strait's 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album, Cowboys And Dreamers, named "album of the week" by Associated Press, features 13 new songs, including three already released tracks -- "Three Drinks Behind," "MIA Down in MIA" and "The Little Things" -- as well as "Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame" featuring Chris Stapleton and Strait's rendition of Waylon Jennings' "Waymore's Blues." All making appearances in his live set, Strait has one final show in 2024, supersizing his long-standing "Strait to Vegas" show at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium to mark the 37th installment of the engagement with Chris Stapleton and special guests Little Big Town.
Cowboys And Dreamers Tracklist:
(Songwriters in parentheses)
1) "Three Drinks Behind" (Benjamin Gaither, Jeff Silvey and Kim Williams)
2) "Cowboys And Dreamers" (Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait)
3) "To The Moon" (Marty Brown and Steve Clark)
4) "MIA Down in MIA" (Adam Craig and Dean Dillon)
5) "Wish I Could Say" (Keith Gattis)
6) "Calling From The Car" (Bobby Braddock)
7) "People Get Hurt Sometimes" (Jim Lauderdale, Kendell Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey)
8) "Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame" ft. Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton, Jameson Clark and Timothy James)
9) "The Little Things" (George Strait, Monty Criswell and Bubba Strait)
10) "The Book" (George Strait, Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon and Bubba Strait)
11) "Rent" (Guy Clark and Keith Gattis)
12) "Waymore's Blues" (Curtis Buck and Waylon Jennings)
13) "The Journey Of Your Life" (Ronnie Bowman and Troy Jones)
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