The Road Less Traveled (CD - 2001)

Personnel: George Strait (vocals, acoustic guitar); Randy Scruggs (acoustic guitar); Steve Gibson, Chris Leuzinger, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Steve Conn (accordion); Steve Nathan (keyboards); Michael Rhodes (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Wes Hightower, Llana Manis (background vocals).

Recorded at Ocean Way, Nashville, Tennessee.

Industry icon George Strait is obviously still "countrified" in The Road Less Traveled, but the country traditionalist has a few out of the ordinary tricks up his sleeve this time. After 25 platinum albums flavored mainly with Texas swing and grassroots country, Strait is now playing the experimentalist. Though the album does touch upon traditional Strait material with songs such as "She'll Leave You With a Smile" and "Don't Tell Me You're Not in Love," the singer employs uncharacteristic synthetic vocal enhancement à la Cher's (mentioning Cher in the same sentence with George Strait never seemed possible before) "Do You Believe in Love" remix on his Cajun tune "Stars on the Water." The mix may make you check the CD case to make sure it's Strait you're playing, but doesn't come across as that distracting. The irony comes two cuts later, when Strait calls for "The Real Thing," referring to the music of artists such as Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. The arrangement of the album's first single, "Run," is also a bit of a change for Strait, though the song's idea is undeniably country. The Road Less Traveled finishes out with a song written by Merle Haggard and Terry Gordon that Strait calls "the soundtrack to his life." "My Life's Been Grand" seems like a suitable message to fans after 57 million records sold and, as Strait points out in another cut from this fascinatingly diverse album (contradiction and all), that's the difference between "Living and Living Well." ~ Rick Cohoon

George Strait emerged in the '80s as one of country music's "new traditionalists," determined to save the genre from pop excess. Over the years, he's remained true to this credo, maintaining a consistently straightforward, honest style. On THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED he continues to make pure, uncomplicated music full of earnest emotions and powerful writing. Strait's choice of material alone is a testament to the authenticity of his aesthetic. He digs deep for an '80s Merle Haggard composition ("My Life's Been Good"), taps fellow new traditionalist Rodney Crowell for the roadhouse-rocking, New Orleans-themed "Stars on the Water," and offers a convincing take on "The Real Thing," a honky-tonker by "Wild Thing" author Chip Taylor that sings the praises of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Even when Strait throws in a modern production touch such as the subtle vocoder effect (a la Cher's "Believe") on the aforementioned Crowell tune, it's done with such finesse that it doesn't damage his credibility a bit. minimize