El Rey – The King – of Cowboys and Country Music has roped in yet another winning classic in his newly released CD “TWANG”! This newest collection of songs is a classy mixture of snappy, catchy tunes peppered with songs that will make the female listener want to “waltz across Texas” with George on her arm.

The content includes story lines, unrequited love, lessons to learn and just plain old fashioned fun lyrics. These songs will paint pictures in your head of honky tonks, blue skies, loved ones, cold beers or lemonade and children. Sometimes the music moves gently through the strings and steel guitar and at other times tempos peak with percussion and vocals as George moves through each song effortlessly with his rich vocals and Texas “twang”. One minute you can sway to the soft melodious musical notes and on the next song you will just have to stand up and “boot-scoot” – or at the very least stand up and move because sitting down on some of these songs just will not happen! There is music here for everyone and this CD is a “must have” for anyone who loves George Strait!

This CD has also proven that George and his son, Bubba, are co-writers of the first degree and Bubba has also proven in his “Arkansas Dave” that he is an excellent songwriter in his own right.

“TWANG” – Jim Lauderdale, Kendell Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey
The first song on the CD, rightly named “TWANG” belts out a good, old fashioned Honky Tonk melody that grabs you from the first couple of notes with Friday night beers and friends, hillbilly guitars, foot-stomping rocking “twang” music. Upbeat and happy it brings to mind good times with good friends while rocking and dancing the night away. You can picture George playing in a smaller personal venue while picking and grinning with you sitting at the front table! The song is just fun and puts the listener in the mood for the entire CD that follows!

“ARKANSAS DAVE” – Bubba Strait
This is a story song about one of the most ruthless outlaws of all time – Dave Rudabaugh who ran with Billy the Kid and was the only outlaw captured by Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrison and Bat Masterson. Bubba tells the story of “Dirty Dave’s” death just as it happened and George sings it to perfection in tune with cowboy music of the Wild West. You can picture yourself sitting around a campfire, high in the mountains or low in the desert of the old West as the guitar strums and George unwinds the tale of Arkansas Dave. This song should be a classic!

“Hot Grease and Zydeco” – Gordon Bradberry and Tony Ramey
This song is good old fashioned fun! Down in the Bayou complete with hot grease, gumbo and a tinny piano! It makes me think of ladies in cotton dresses with floppy hats flipping their hands from the wrist and shoulder-shaking! Hip twirling music that gets right down into your soul and makes your world happy. Picture bare wooden dance floors, a piano player wearing a visor, a shirt with white sleeves and a vest and George Strait singing about hot loving and gumbo! It just does not get any better than that! The song captures the fast tempo of the old Louisiana Creole and Cajun flavor Zydeco bands and the simplicity of the lyrics makes it a great sing-along! Fantastic tune!

By CalamityAnnie – CMTT Contributor