George Strait photo by Vanessa Gavalya, courtesy of UMG Nashville.
It only takes two songs before Here For A Good Time delivers its first paralyzing punch in the form of "Drinkin’ Man," a tale told through the eyes of a man who spends a lifetime desperately wanting/trying to walk away from the bottle but repeatedly falls into the drunken surrender of a life lost to liquor.
"I love that song. I had been thinking about that idea for a while and I told Dean that one night. I said, ‘Hey, man. I’ve got a good idea for a song, I think. It’s a helluva lot to ask of a drinking man.’ I don’t think it really sunk into him at the time, but then we got down to the ranch and started kicking around this idea. When we finished it, I was so proud of it. It came out exactly the way I had imagined it. I just love it. It takes us through the whole gamut of this guy who’s pretty hung up on the bottle."
As with liquor, women have long been the pitfall of many a man and George puts forth his take on that as well with "Poison." Led along by a haunting guitar and George’s floor sweeping baritone the song tells the tale that there’s something in every mans life that can make you feel bulletproof. You can learn to love anything that can bring you pleasure or pain ... you just have to pick your poison.
The biggest surprise on the album comes in the form of "Blue Marlin Blues" where the song almost literally splashes sunshine and crystal blue water right out of your speakers. Kicked off with a tasty guitar lick and pushed along by what can only be described as a dig in & twist it up groove, this is not only a destination spot for the album but surely a can’t miss moment when George hits the concert stage. It might not be the kind of tune you’d expect from George, but it’s a wonderfully executed surprise.
"I like to fish for bill fish. It’s another one of my passions, so I’ve been entering some tournaments here lately," says George. "For years I never entered tournaments but a few years ago, I decided I wanted to fish in some of the BBC tournaments in the Bahamas. After that year of fishing, I decided there were so many days I could go out, and catch nothing. I truly did have the blue marlin blues. You know, lines in at 8 and lines out at 4 and nothing in between. You’re not catching anything. So that’s how that song came about."
Those looking for their traditional Texas Strait can readily find it on Here For A Good Time in the forms of the fiddle and steel guitar laden "Shame On Me," the two stepping "Lone Star Blues," or the albums initial track "Love’s Gonna Make It Alright." One of the albums high water marks comes in the form of "A Showman’s Life," where Faith Hill lends her songbird vocals to create one of the more amazing harmonies George has ever partnered on.
The most ruminating moment comes at the end of the album in the soon to be tale of goodbye of "I’ll Always Remember You." Co-written by the trio of George, Bubba & Dean, the song's title and first verse leads you to believe the story is about a man and the love of his life. Turning slowly like a road around an outstretched mountain, it isn’t until you’re nearly a minute in that you realize George IS the man in the song and the love of his life is everybody listening to it. While the lyrics and sequencing placement are sure to lead to speculation about Strait’s retirement (George turns 60 in May of 2012) George sings the promise "I’m not saying I’m through by any means. There’s still things I want to say & do."
"I wanted to write something that would tell the fans how much I’ve appreciated them over the years, and just like it says in the song, I’m not quittin’; I’m not saying I’m there by any means. I’m still enjoying it. Still having a great time doing it. I just want them to know we’re not here for a long time, so I want to say it now so they’ll know. I think the song is exactly how I feel. It was hard to do in the studio. I was choking up, and I’m sure it’ll be that way on stage, too. It’ll be hard but I just want all my fans to know how much they do mean to me."
