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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Strait’s Album Predictable, But It’s Still Good Country

Mario Tarradell The Dallas Morning News

George Strait “Carrying Your Love With Me” (MCA)

When you’re George Strait, a staunch country stylist right down to the wrinkled Wrangler cuffs, there’s only so much musical experimentation you’re willing to try. And when your loyal audience about a million fans across the country religiously buys everything you record, why would you want to mess with the formula?

So Strait has spent the last 16 years turning out predictable but consummate slices of straight-ahead country. Every couple of albums or so, as with the 1996 great “Blue Clear Sky,” Strait strikes a magical chord that makes him worthy of legendary status.

But other times, he records an album such as “Carrying Your Love With Me” - tuneful but underwhelming. Standing against the glimmer of “Blue Clear Sky,” “Carrying Your Love With Me” comes off second-rate. The album’s first single, “One Night at a Time,” a No. 1 hit barely a month after its release, plods along at a languid pace. Its hummable chorus sounds tired, as if drained of energy by Strait’s typically relaxed performance.

Ditto for “Round About Way,” a punchless two-stepper despite its boot-stomping beat. “Even Today My World Slipped Away,” a cover of Vern Gosdin’s 1982 staple, drowns in melancholy strings instead of reveling in its mournful power.

But a Western swing number, “I’ve Got a Funny Feeling,” and a classic honky-tonker, “Won’t You Come Home (and Talk to a Stranger),” don’t disappoint. And the title cut is one of those instantly arresting George Strait love songs, the kind in which his affinity for vintage pop and traditional country blend beautifully.

Yes, Strait has done all of this before - with varying degrees of inspiration. Still, so-so George Strait is better than the slew of mediocre copycats he’s influenced.