Comments on: Quotable Country – 05/31/09 Edition

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:09:24 +0000

I am days behind on my reading ….

The ‘What Would George Strait Do’ litmus test doesn’t seem to be working for Montgomery Gentry though.

By: C.M. Wilcox

C.M. Wilcox — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:38:03 +0000

Yep, I’m with both of you. I thought It Just Comes Natural was a great album and certainly one of his most interesting in a long while.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:32:31 +0000

I agree with The Pistolero about It Just Comes Natural. That record revived my interest in Strait.

By: Ben Milam

Ben Milam — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:48:02 +0000

i gave up on the texas music label years ago. it does a disservice to so many musicians. is scarface texas muisc? yes, houston, texas. the sisters morales? of course, san antonio, texas. the scabs. ok scratch that one, but they are based in austin, texas. blue october? san marcos, texas. pantera? dallas, texas. there’s just too much going on in our state musically to paint everything with that brush. but the thing about it is that nashville doesn’t get that it’s not one thing (production values for instance) that make something “texas music”. maybe it’s none of these things. maybe all of these things. i bet steve earle knows. i bet guy clark told ‘em.

By: the pistolero

the pistolero — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:21:40 +0000

Believe it or not I’d sort of agree with you on Strait, Mike M. I think as of late Strait’s recordings have been hit-and-miss, although I did think It Just Comes Natural was the best thing he’s done in at least a decade, ranking right up there with Blue Clear Sky and Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind in the group of truly great Strait records. (“River of Love”? Really, George? Come on, I know your ear’s better than that..)
Still, though, I thought Lewis’ commentary was a bit harsh, as it made Strait sound like little more than a cog in the Nashville machine. I know I’m a fan (seen him 14 times, with No. 15 coming up on Aug. 8 in Houston) with all the biases that come with that, but I can’t apologize for thinking that to label what Strait has done in his career as “songs that give country radio stations hits they can rely on year in and year out, and that spread the wealth among a broad spectrum of writers, music publishers and concert promoters” is a huge insult to him and his contributions to the genre.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:29:37 +0000

Ah, Rick…your sensitivity never ceases to warm my heart.

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:58:24 +0000

I’m not one to agree with the L.A. Times very often, but Randy Lewis must have read my mind when it comes to George Strait. George consistently puts out top shelf “product”, but apart from “Amarillo By Morning” emotional punch and pizazz is usually lacking. Glad to know I’m not alone in feeling this way….

Did Billy Currington say “It’s so true because we are all crazy in our own ways.” before or after his emotional breakdown awhile back when he quit touring to go deal emotionally with “unresolved issues from his childhood”? Yes Billy, we are all crazy in our own little ways, but some people are a whole lot more crazy than others…

As far as Jamey Johnson’s math, he’s including the “transportation cost” of gasoline for the 1980’s Ford pick-up with a 460 c.i. V-8 that Bubba drives that only gets 5 miles per gallon. And don’t forget that attending a concert also requires a lot of money to spend on beer! And sometimes they need to budget for bail as well…

By: Mike K

Mike K — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:56:37 +0000

“I’d put it on the market, call it biscuit lotion”

By: 18andLife

18andLife — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:28:53 +0000

Somehow I doubt that was a joke. Unpolished is one thing, but poorly recorded musically and vocally? That’s an hysterical thing to say, but not funny. It is true though, that Texas doesn’t produce many Carrie Underwood’s (and keep them anyway).

By: the pistolero

the pistolero — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:03:57 +0000

apparently there is a certain ‘Texas’ sound, which is quite un-polished (poorly recorded both vocally and musically

PLEASE tell me this was a joke, tongue-in-cheek, whatever. Surely no one in Music City is THAT clueless about Texas music.