Somewhere Down in Texas (CD - 2005)

Personnel: George Strait (background vocals); George Strait (vocals); Steve Nathan (Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ); Glenn Worf (bass guitar); Casey Wood (percussion); Chris Rodriguez, Jaime Babbitt, Lisa Cochran, Vicki Hampton, Bob Bailey (background vocals); Bryan Sutton (guitar, acoustic guitar); Steve Gibson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar, nylon-string guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Nashville String Machine (strings); Matt Rollings (piano, synthesizer); Eddie Bayers (drums); Wes Hightower, Marty Slayton (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Kyle Lehning.

Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Emerald Studios, Nashville, TN; Loud Studios, Nashville, TN; OceanWay, Nashville, TN; Starstruck, Nashville, TN; The Tracking Room, Nashville, TN.

Photographers: Peter Nash; Tony Baker & His Orchestra; Terry Calonge; Mark Tucker .

On SOMEWHERE DOWN IN TEXAS, the ever-reliable George Strait stays the course he'd charted for years prior, which is to say that he once again manages to combine mainstream appeal with a classy, understated country style that makes no secret of his roots in George Jones, Merle Haggard, and the like. Unlike nearly every other country star of his era, Strait never comes anywhere near the rock trappings or power ballads that are de rigeur in so much contemporary country. There may be the occasional extraneous orchestration here and there, but any album that opens with "If the Whole World Was a Honky Tonk" and lives up to the title must have its heart in the right place. Along the way, there are echoes of Roger Miller's slightly jazzy sound ("The Seashores of Old Mexico") and Dwight Yoakam's neo-Bakersfield boogie ("High Tone Woman"), some strikingly inventive harmonic twists ("Good News Bad News"), and a broken-hearted ballad that's arguably the album's highlight ("Ready For the End of the World"). Ultimately, what truly amazes is the way Strait makes putting together such a sophisticated, pleasure-giving album seem so easy. minimize