Honkytonkville

After more than 20 years and 30-plus albums, George Strait might be entitled to cruise through a CD or two. But after the sublime "She'll Leave You with a Smile" hit the benchmark of 50 No. 1 country singles, the crisply starched Texan went on to make one of the most satisfying albums of his career. Honkytonkville finds him sitting a little taller on the barstool than his last efforts, more concerned with the kind of romantic disappointment that hurts too much for middle-of-the road leanings and requires more of a sawdust-on-the-floor environment. Jim Lauderdale's "She Used to Say That to Me" kicks things off with 100-proof hillbilly angst, and from there Strait serves up some pretty strong stuff: the exquisite heartbreak ballad "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa," the rollicking "I Found Jesus on the Jailhouse Floor," and the George Jones-style novelty romp, "Honk If You Honky Tonk." Strait’s session players--Matt Rollings on organ and Paul Franklin on steel guitar, for example--fill the space around his elegant vocals with taste and grace, supplying an audible teardrop and an anguished sigh. It all adds up to a nearly perfect album from a justifiable king of modern country. --Alanna Nash