Where's King George? Somewhere Down in Texas

Somewhere Down in Texas is full of great songs but what strikes me this time around is the fact that there seems to be a feeling of finality to the songs, especially in the title track. It makes me wonder if George Strait is thinking about some sort of retirement. After all, he's had over fifty number one hits and a long-lived country music career. Lee Ann Womack joins George on the song "Good News, Bad News" which is extra special (for Lee Ann and listeners) since he rarely does duets.

According to George, "If The Whole World Was A Honky Tonk," people would be able to forget about their troubles and not have to be careful of what was said because no one would care if you were politically incorrect or your neck was red. The song's last line captures the subject matter perfectly with "Life would be a three chord song, and the King would be George Jones if the world was a honky tonk."

After being on the road for almost all of his adult life, the man in "Somewhere Down in Texas" knows he has put in his time singing his songs and now he wants to go home to Texas to settle down with his family and enjoy the wide open spaces of his home state. There is a fire inside him that makes him want to be able to settle in with his wife at night and say goodnight instead of a long distance goodbye.

The first single from Somewhere Down in Texas, "You'll Be There," is about finding a peace within yourself to make it through the loss of those you care about. After all, there will come a day when you will be reunited and things will be better than they were before they passed. "I know I want to go where the streets are gold 'cause you'll be there."

"Good News, Bad News" is a wonderful song where a man finally realizes that after some time apart he still loves the woman with all of his heart and he wants to be with her once again. Lee Ann Womack breaks the bad news to him as she sings about finding someone new who took her mind off of things and she loves him with all of her heart. You'll never know what might happen when two people break things off for a while.

A great tribute to my favorite state, "Texas," mentions almost all of the greatest things about Texas: The Alamo, Rio Grande, and Willie Nelson, all in the context of George saying that this great state made him the man he is today. "I wouldn't be standing here right now, if it wasn't for Texas" he sings. One of my favorite lines is "I wouldn't be an American, if it wasn't for Texas."

Sometimes all it takes for a woman to break out of her shell a little bit is a breakup, as was the case in "She Let Herself Go." The man thought she would lose sleep and cry once he left but she did the exact opposite. She went on singles cruises, went to a spa, went to Las Vegas and even Honolulu. She wasn't going to let him tie her down any longer.

Song List:
If The Whole World Was A Honky Tonk
Somewhere Down In Texas
The Seashores Of Old Mexico
You'll Be There
High Tone Woman
Good News, Bad News
Oh, What A Perfect Day
Texas
Ready For The End Of The World
She Let Herself Go
By The Light Of A Burning Bridge