George Strait One Step At A Time CD

This is a DTS CD, which features DTS 5.1 Surround Sound technology and is playable on a DTS-capable 5.1 Surround Sound system.

Standing out among all the glib, cowboy-hatted moneymakers whose version of country is really just cheesy pop-rock with a pedal steel, George Strait plays it, well, straight. While he's no "Progressive Country" rebel on the order of Steve Earle or Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Strait eschews the cheap, easy hook and vapid lyric in favor of a restrained, thoughtful approach, as shown on ONE STEP AT A TIME. Though he's not above upping the tempo, Strait's strength lies in the ballads that make up the bulk of this album.

There are a few moments on ONE STEP AT A TIME where a tasteful electric guitar will leap to the forefront, but we're not talking Travis Tritt here, most of the songs are acoustic-based, and leave plenty of room for Strait's subtle, determined vocal delivery. He's got the cream of the country crop contributing songs, including Robert Earl Keen, Jim Lauderdale and John Prine, who cowrote one of the more memorable tunes, "I Just Want To Dance With You." Produced by Strait and Nashville institution Tony Brown, ONE STEP takes the legacy of this consistently listenable vocalist one step further.

Personnel: George Strait (vocals); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (acoustic, electric, & gut string guitar); Steve Gibson (acoustic & electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, pedabro); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Steve Nathan (accordion, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, synthesizer); Glenn Worf (acoustic & electric basses); Eddie Bayers (drums); Curtis Young, Liana Manis (background vocals).

Personnel: George Strait (vocals, guitar); Brent Mason (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut-string guitar); Steve Gibson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Steve Nathan (accordion, piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Glenn Worf (upright bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Curtis Young, Liana Manis (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Chuck Ainlay.

Recording information: Emerald Sound Studios.

Photographer: Mark Tucker .

Unknown Contributor Role: Paul Franklin.Entertainment Weekly (4/24/98, p.79) - "...Without a Western-swing foray or kicker palace romp, his latest may seem sleepy at first. But the ballads...are all sinew and satin. This is what real country sounds like."
- Rating: B+