“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar”
George Strait
Written by Dean Dillon, Bubba Strait, and George Strait
Hearing a new George Strait single in this day and age can make you feel like you’ve entered a time warp.
Strait has enjoyed the longest career at radio in country music history, and he’s done it without significantly changing his sound along the way. A few tweaks here and there, of course, but no matter how traditional or crossover the genre swung in the past, his music never sounded out of place in the contemporary landscape.
“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” is a reminder of how good the Strait formula remains, but is also startling to listen to, as he does sound out of step from contemporary country music for the first time. Mind you, that’s an indictment of how far the genre has strayed not just from its roots, but from good taste and decent songcraft. A celebration of those little bars you can find in any small town, “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” brings back the twang, as well as indoor drinking. Did you know that was still a thing?
Strait is still in fine voice, and he can still deliver a lyric with nuance and subtlety. This isn’t one of his all time great singles, of which there must be three dozen by now. But it’s way better than any of the drinking songs you’re going to hear on the radio today, and a promising preview of his upcoming studio album.
Grade: B+
Listened to this for the first time Thursday night. I agree with what you said – good to see King George is still in great form! Can’t wait for Honky Tonk Time Machine to arrive.
I’ve gotten back in the habit of buying CDs, which means preordering on Amazon these days. So far, I’ve only preordered George Strait and Patty Griffin for 2019.
…indeed, a welcome neotraditional backflip. pretty good, but not as good as jake owen goin’ “down to the honky tonk”. “…got a dog named waylon, got a driveway that needs pavin’…” – goofy and catchy as it gets and dropped among “today’s country”. it ain’t all lost yet – perhaps.
I would have graded it exactly the same. It doesn’t stand out significantly in Strait’s catalog, but boy does it feel like a breath of fresh air right now.