Send "George Strait " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 On one of the most artless cover photos of the year: An on-stage, earphone-sporting George Strait smiles, in a literal translation of the title of his 26th studio album, Here for a Good Time. The title track, which has already bounced its way up the radio chart, is an optimist’s anthem that’s also of the live-it-up, ‘nothin’ but a good time’ variety. The album begins with a similarly upbeat message (“Love’s Gonna Make It Alright”) in a song that seems destined to be yet another hit for Strait. The song’s setup: She had a stressful day at work; he reminds her they can wipe that away with a night on the town, followed by some love-making. Strait’s singing is steady and strong within a light, fiddle-focused setting. The song is generic and everyday in a way that’s likely to appeal to someone listening to the radio; someone, say, driving home after a stressful day at work. Later on the album, Strait enters good-times mode again, in a more down-home way, for the rodeo song “Lone Star Blues”, and in a more Jimmy Buffett-esque way for the fishing goof “Blue Marlin Blues”. These two songs are “blues” in the everyday parlance, like you’ve got the Monday morning blues or the taking-out-the-trash blues; not the “my baby’s left me, and I’m dying of cancer” blues. These songs are here for a good time. In “Blue Marlin Blues”, a fish jumps out of the water, spits out the bait, and dives back in. If there’s a country subgenre of sport-fishing songs—and I’m not sure that there is – here is its feel-good anthem. While Strait spends about half the album doling out sunbeams, the other half is all shadows and pain, firmly in the old-country tradition of hard luck songs. There’s so much heartbreak, the album stands out among Strait’s recent work for it, even while the tears sit side by side with rainbows. In the context of the album, the lyric “Don’t think for a minute that I’m gonna sit around and sing some old sad song”, from the title track, seems like a joke, since the song comes right after “Poison”, and two songs after “Drinkin’ Man”....full text |
| Slantmagazine |
| George Strait's career has long been defined by the singer's dogged consistency and predictability: For the better part of 30 years, he's put out a new album roughly every couple of years that includes two or three solid singles and some inoffensive and utterly unremarkable filler. Since his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, though, Strait has been taking more risks, and, as a result, his two most recent albums, Troubadour and Twang, are among his strongest. Here for a Good Time manages to be even better, boasting a higher caliber of songwriting than even those two records and considering broader themes in a way that Strait's albums rarely have before. What's most fascinating about the newfound depth of focus in Strait's work is that he's begun to take a more prominent role in writing the songs on his albums. Better known for choosing material by some of Nashville's best hired-gun songwriters, Strait and his son "Bubba" Strait co-wrote the majority of Here for a Good Time, giving the record a more singular point of view and real sense of voice. Strait's singing voice may be one of country music's most recognizable, but his persona as a recording artist hasn't always been so distinct. Though he sticks to many of country's most familiar tropes (heartbreak, drinking, and faith), Strait brings a mature perspective to his writing on those themes, and his vocal performances convey a lived-in sense of authority. He sounds as youthful as he has in years on the title track, a terrific single that gives his trademark brand of slick trad-country a noteworthy lyrical hook to hang onto ("I'm ain't here for a long time/I'm here for a good time"). It's a cleverly written song, subtly folding matters of faith into an anthem of escapism. On the remainder of the album, Strait explores the consequences of a less thoughtful form of escapism (on "Poison" and "Shame on Me") and provides balance with songs like "I'll Always Remember You" and standout "Drinkin' Man" that are characterized by their genuine reflection and insight. There's still a bit of filler here (Gary Nicholson and Delbert McClinton are both great songwriters, but "Lone Star Blues" isn't up to their usual standards), but the songs on Here for a Good Time amount to the most thematically coherent album Strait has recorded....full text |
| Tasteofcountry |
| ‘Here for a Good Time’ is a sneaky name for George Strait‘s new album (which is in stores and available for download today, September 6) because most of the 11 songs are anything but a good time. This is the legendary country singer’s darkest album in recent memory, with no fewer than five tracks feeling like punches to the kidney. A number of cuts feel unusually personal, giving fans a rare glimpse into the quiet life Strait lives offstage. ‘Drinkin’ Man’ is the song everyone will be talking about. It’s one of the seven Strait co-wrote with his son Bubba Strait and frequent collaborator Dean Dillon. The first verse unwraps all the feel-good cheer built up from the opening cut. “I fought it like the devil but you know that you’re in trouble / When you’re 14 and drunk by 10AM,” Strait sings. It’s one of two heartbreaking songs about addiction on the album — the other being ‘Poison,’ not written by Strait’s team. One finds themselves playing the song again and again to forever sew Strait’s hopelessness and desperation into the fabric of the mind. The title track and ‘Lone Star Blues’ are a fun breath of fresh air after the early emotional beating. Make no mistake, ‘Drinkin’ Man’ and ‘Poison’ are great songs. They’re just far deeper than one would expect. Two of the later songs on ‘Here For a Good Time’ amount to Strait giving a rare interview. On ‘A Showman’s Life’ with Faith Hill and ‘I’ll Always Remember You,’ the singer addresses the music industry and retirement with candor. “I’m not saying I’m through by any means / There’s still things that I want to say and do / I hope you won’t forget me / ‘Cause we’ve shared a lot of dreams / And just know that I’ll always remember you,” Strait sings in the first chorus before delivering a spoken word thank you to his fans, hinting that retirement feels like a train in the dark distance. It’s not quite ready to collect him, but he can feel the rails rattling and make out the headlight....full text |
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