Holding My Own

Country was going through major changes in the early ‘90s, and Holding My Own shows George Strait was willing to change with the times. Of course, the fundamentals of his craft never change, but here the playing is a little sharper, the production a little brighter, and the delivery a little more sprightly. “You’re Right I’m Wrong,” “Gone As a Girl Can Get,” and “Wonderland of Love” are traditional country tunes gussied up in the latest fashions. But it’s not merely a superficial gloss — more like an old cowhand newly outfitted in some sharp-looking city threads. As Strait gets older, he gets better and better at familial reflections like “So Much Like My Dad.” In the hands of another it could easily turn into a piece of schmaltz, but Strait handles it with total sincerity and conviction. And just when you think Holding My Own is the most cosmopolitan Strait album to date, you hear “Trains Make Me Lonesome” and “Faults and All,” and you realize that regardless of changing times Strait will always be country to the core.