“Ace in the Hole”
George Strait
Written by Dennis Adkins
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 6, 1989
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
November 4, 1989
A lot of ink has been spilled over the years about how George Strait puts on such a compelling show, despite standing still and halfheartedly strumming his guitar for most of his shows.
That reductive take misses two key things about Strait’s enduring appeal as a live performer. First, he’s not just standing still. There’s nothing idle about it. He’s completely commanding the attention of his audience without having to move around to keep them engaged. It’s deliberate, not disinterested.
Second, he’s a great singer being backed by a fantastic band, something we don’t get to hear on his recordings very often. As good as most of his albums are, they’re all made with radio in mind, so big instrumental breaks aren’t going to happen on most of his singles.
We get a taste of his live show on “Ace in the Hole,” which has such prominent instrumentation that you can picture it working perfectly as that song 2/3 into the setlist that’s used for band introductions. The lyric is slight, but that’s beside the point. This one is about the Western Swing groove, and Strait does it better here than on any of his other radio hits.
This was Strait’s final No. 1 single of the eighties. He is featured prominently in our nineties No. 1 singles retrospective and will make multiple appearances on our upcoming Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s feature.
“Ace in the Hole” gets a B+.
Every No. 1 Single of the Eighties
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I always loved when George Strait got his Western swing on. I agree that this one was his best although “Am I Blue?” was nearly as strong. Fun arrangement and smooth instrumentation with quality vocals that sell the lyrics. Not much else to say about this one other than it really works. I’m not sure if “We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This” qualified as Western swing but if the only of George’s hits from the 90s that I would say fits that mold. No surprise that I loved that one too.
Grade: B+
Strait’s was the only backing band I knew by name at the time.
I remember recording an Austin City Limits performance of his on a VHS cassette on my family’s VCR and watching it repeatedly, just over and over again.
The soon to be anointed King of Country Music had charisma in spades, and the ace in his hole was his perfectly named band.
I knew his fiddle player Gene Elders by name!
Strait doesn’t become the star he is without these players around him.
This song is a wonderful acknowledgement and celebration of the insanely talented sidemen who created the George Strait sound and energy in his legendary live performances.