Twang (album)

Twang is the title of the 26th studio album by American country music artist George Strait. It was released on August 11, 2009 via MCA Nashville, the same label to which Strait has been signed since 1981. It is produced by Tony Brown. Lead-off single "Living for the Night", which Strait wrote with his son Bubba and songwriter Dean Dillon, was released in May 2009. As of the chart dated January 8, 2011, the album has sold 662,023 copies in the US.^[1]

Content

The album includes three songs that Strait co-wrote with his son, George "Bubba" Strait, Jr., who is also the sole writer of the track "Arkansas Dave."^[2] Among these three songs is the lead-off single "Living for the Night", which was also co-written by Dean Dillon, who has also co-written several of Strait's previous singles. This album is also the second of his solo career to contain a song that he co-wrote, with 1982's Strait from the Heart being the first.^[3] The album's final track, "El Rey", is a cover version of a Spanish-language song written and originally recorded by Mexican songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez. "Twang" was released on October 13, 2009 as the second single, followed by "I Gotta Get to You" in February 2010 and "The Breath You Take" in June.

It is Strait's first album to not feature a number one single since 2003's Honkytonkville.

Critical reception

Twang generated positive reviews overall, with most favorable reviews citing the Straits' co-writing credits and the "El Rey" over as variations from Strait's typical musical image. Giving the album four stars out of five, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that Twang was "recognizably within his comfort zone" but had "a few surprises," saying that the "El Rey" cover and the songs that the Straits' co-wrote "give Twang some serious character and make it more than just another sturdy Strait record."^[4] Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time gave a favorable review, with his review also citing the "El Rey" cover and the presence of the Straits' songwriting credits as standout tracks, saying of the latter, "Based on the quality of these cuts, one is left scratching the head wondering what took so long."^[5] It received a four-and-a-half star rating (out of five) from Country Weekly reviewer Chris Neal, who said that the album "finds the singer taking several chances with his tried-and-true formula and seeing his bets pay off handsomely."^[6] Bobby Peacock of Roughstock also cited the Straits' co-writes and "El Rey" as "surprises" and saying, "Once again, George Strait has proven just why he is still at the top of his game thirty years into his career."^[7]

Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B rating, describing it as "another album of immaculately recorded tracks."^[8] Jim Malec gave a three-and-a-half star rating (out of five) on The 9513 saying that it "is a typical George Strait album, ripe with a few excellent cuts and a whole lot of forgettable though exquisitely produced filler. But mind-blowing it ain’t."^[9] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine gave it three out of five, saying "The risks Strait has taken here are more like slight variations on his tried-and-true formula and image."^[10]

On December 2, 2009, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.^[11]

Track listing

Personnel

• Eddie Bayers – drums
• Eric Darken – percussion
• Stuart Duncan – fiddle, mandolin
• Tom Flora – background vocals
• Paul Franklin – steel guitar
• Steve Gibson – acoustic, electric, gut string guitars
• Mike Haynes – trumpet
• John Barlow Jarvis – piano, Wurlitzer
• Brent Mason – electric guitar, gut string guitar
• Nashville String Machine – strings
• Steve Nathan – piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer
• Eddie "Scarlito" Perez – background vocals
• Randy Scruggs – acoustic guitar
• Marty Slayton – background vocals
• George Strait – lead vocals
• Glenn Worf – bass guitar, upright bass

Chart performance

End of year charts

References