“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+