MCA Records might be using the rising popularity of Texas music to their advantage by loosening the rein on veteran country crooner George Strait and letting him get back to his Texas roots…thus, somewhere down in Texas, I do believe.

The first track takes me back to the good old days…you know those days when George sang country songs.  "If The Whole World Was A Honky Tonk" fits the bill here and certainly got my attention.  Ah, it's so nice to hear the old George singing the country music I remember when George first started…how many years ago?  He’s still got the voice that he’s always had, which is well-deserving of the male vocalist awards he has won over the years.  Then the title track, "Somewhere Down In Texas" makes you forget that George spends a lot of time in Tennessee as he tells the story of what Texas means to him. This song will be a hit among his Texas fans.

"You’ll Be There" is the fourth track and gained so much popularity as a single, the album release date was pushed up to today, June 28^th!  It’s not one of my favorites on the album, but it is a solid song lyrically with a hopeful message.  And it has entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart at #30.

George picks up the pace in the next song, "High Tone Woman",  which is a cleverly written song that warns of the consequences of getting involved with the wrong kind of woman.  The instrumentation in this song is exceptional.

George’s voice shines on "Oh, What A Perfect Day", a love ballad sung like only George can do.  It's a beautiful song all the way around.

Track 8, entitled simply, "Texas", gloats about the glory of Texas.  An example of the lyrics are:

George brought the country back home on this album.  The song writing seems to be meatier with stories of love in old Mexico, good news, bad news, letting herself go, getting ready for the end of the world and other things that make good subjects for country songs.  I’d have to say that George had to be somewhere down in Texas, if only in his heart, when he recorded this album.  It’s a breath of fresh Texas air from Strait so pick up a copy for yourself, take a deep whiff and see if you agree.  If you're a George Strait fan, chances are you'll want this one for your collection.

Visit www.GeorgeStrait.com for more information or pick it up in your local CD store now!

                                                                                                     Happy Trails,

                                                                                                    Miss Lana

Written by Lana Hughes, June 2005