George Strait photo by Vanessa Gavalya, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

"Living for the Night" exemplifies George’s forward-looking attitude. A moody, thoroughly modern arrangement, George brings a subtly nuanced vocal performance to the song that both grounds it in Texas country yet embraces fresh, contemporary sounds.

"I actually think his voice keeps getting better," Brown says. "George is so subtle, and so focused on expressing a song, that people don’t always realize just what an incredible singer he really is because he’s not showy. The tone he has, the way he phrases lines, the emotion he puts into them—there’s really no one as good as he is at all that. He doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity. He thinks of himself as an artist and a vocalist. He pays attention to every note."

George and Brown credit the ocean air, with its cool breezes and lack of allergens, for bringing out the best in George’s vocal tone, purity and power. "I feel like my voice is as good as it's ever been, and the air in Key West suits it," the singer says. "It also suits the players. It's a laid-back atmosphere, as anyone who's ever been to Key West knows, and that definitely filters right into the studio."

As for stepping out, George takes on Texas bluesman Delbert McClinton’s "Same Kind of Crazy," which McClinton co-wrote with Gary Nicholson. Brown credits the idea to record the song to George. "It was a fun song to do and we did it in one take," George says, citing how great the studio band sounds on the cut. "That says a lot for just how much everybody was into it. I'm a Delbert fan, and I hope he likes it. He's one of our Texas treasures."

Then there’s the album’s biggest surprise: George singing the Spanish lyrics of "El Rey," a mariachi standard heard nightly across Mexico and in Border States. "I've loved mariachi music for years, and although I’m not fluent in Spanish, I’ve been trying to get better," George says. "‘El Rey’ has been a favorite song of mine for years, and I request it every chance I get. So I decided to give it a shot. What a blast that was. I had a version by the great Vicente Fernandez. I played it for the guys, and we worked it out. I think it turned out great, and I hope the real mariachis like it. That will be the real test."

George tackles other unexpected ideas, too, as in the let-the-good-times-roll blast of Louisiana roadhouse rock, "Hot Grease and Zydeco." "Arkansas Dave," the self-penned song by Bubba George, also presents a departure. "That one sounds like a Johnny Cash song to me," Brown says. "I had George’s harmony singer, Marty Slayton, listen to how June Carter would harmonize with Cash to get more of that flavor. She nailed it, and it helps make the song sound unlike anything George has ever cut."

TWANG includes plenty of songs that hardcore George fans expect, too. "Out of Sight Out of Mind"—another song written by the father and son team—is a steel-guitar Texas country ballad that ranks with George’s most moving old-school performances, as is the beautiful "Easy As You Go." The sage wisdom in "The Breath You Take" offers a mature take on life that George has served up regularly and with great impact.