Strait Out of the Box

George Strait

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AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder

A truly comprehensive four-CD compilation covering the years 1976-1995, including all 31 of his number one hits, 11 more chart singles of great musical significance, 19 LP tracks, and 11 more rare tracks, plus a brace of unreleased songs that are anything but leftovers. The opening three tracks, all written by Strait and dating from 1976-1979, show a lot of potential on his part as a singer fronting a competent band. 1981's "Unwound" was where his career lifted off, and his singing takes on serious depth and range. Beyond "Unwound," there's a lot here that could've done well as singles, displaying his early sound as a mix of traditional country and country-pop. Strait ultimately rebelled against the latter, but the songs off of his first two LPs show a prodigious talent in any milieu he'd have chosen to work. Disc two opens with the Bob Wills number "Right or Wrong," which became central to Strait's sound and image and, in the early '80s, was a reminder that as smooth as those early MCA songs had been, Strait had a genuine commitment to Western swing and traditional country music. Disc three divides its space between ballads and honky tonk numbers, with some comedy and some bracing Western swing. Disc four is all '90s material, right up through 1995. The cut that helped sell this set is Strait's never-issued 1993 duet with Frank Sinatra on "Fly Me to the Moon," which never should have been left off the Duets album -- the two singers' voices sound right together, and the song works as is. The producers have provided a booklet with an extensive biographical essay, a full sessionography, and comments from Strait himself on each of the songs included.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	I Just Can't Go on Dying Like This George Strait	George Strait	2:46	Spotify Rdio
2	(That Don't Change) The Way I Feel About You George Strait	George Strait	2:11	Spotify Rdio
3	I Don't Want to Talk It over Anymore George Strait	George Strait	3:11	Spotify Rdio
4	Unwound Dean Dillon / Frank Dycus	George Strait	2:26	Spotify Rdio
5	Blame It on Mexico Darrell Staedtler / Darryl Staedtler	George Strait	2:51	Spotify Rdio
6	Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart Dean Dillon / Frank Dycus	George Strait	3:05	Spotify Rdio
7	If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home) Blake Mevis / David Wills	George Strait	2:58	Spotify Rdio
8	Any Old Love Won't Do Dean Dillon / Frank Dycus	George Strait	3:04	Spotify Rdio
9	Fool Hearted Memory Byron Hill / Blake Mevis	George Strait	2:39	Spotify Rdio
10	Marina del Rey Dean Dillon / Frank Dycus	George Strait	3:03	Spotify Rdio
11	I Can't See Texas from Here George Strait	George Strait	2:30	Spotify Rdio
12	Heartbroke Guy Clark	George Strait	3:34	Spotify Rdio
13	What Would Your Memories Do Hank Cochran / Dean Dillon	George Strait	3:18	Spotify Rdio
14	Amarillo by Morning Paul Fraser / Terry Stafford	George Strait	2:53	Spotify Rdio
15	I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name Lee Emerson	George Strait	2:45	Spotify Rdio
16	Fire I Can't Put Out D. Staedtler / Darrell Staedtler / Darryl Staedtler	George Strait	3:00	Spotify Rdio
17	You Look So Good in Love Glen Ballard / Rory Bourke / Rory Michael Bourke / Kerry Chater	George Strait	3:13	Spotify Rdio
18	80 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper Darrell Staedtler / Darryl Staedtler	George Strait	2:15	Spotify Rdio

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Right or Wrong Paul Biese / Haven Gillespie / Arthur Sizemore	George Strait	2:06	Spotify Rdio
2	Let's Fall to Pieces Together Dickey Lee / Tommy Rocco / Johnny Russell	George Strait	2:55	Spotify Rdio
3	Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind Sanger D. Schafer / Darlene Shafer	George Strait	3:15	Spotify Rdio
4	The Cowboy Rides Away Casey Kelly / Sonny Throckmorton	George Strait	3:23	Spotify Rdio
5	The Fireman Wayne Kemp / Mack Vickery	George Strait	2:35	Spotify Rdio
6	Chair Hank Cochran / Dean Dillon	George Strait	2:50	Rdio
7	You're Something Special to Me David Anthony	George Strait	3:20	Spotify Rdio
8	Haven't You Heard Wayne Kemp / Red Lane	George Strait	2:55	Spotify Rdio
9	In Too Deep Jerry Lane / Erv Woolsey	George Strait	2:38	Spotify Rdio
10	Lefty's Gone Sanger D. Schafer	George Strait	3:15	Spotify Rdio
11	Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her Dean Dillon	George Strait	2:51	Spotify Rdio
12	It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You Dean Dillon / Royce Porter	George Strait	2:51	Spotify Rdio
13	Ocean Front Property Hank Cochran / Dean Dillon / Royce Porter	George Strait	3:07	Spotify Rdio
14	Rhythm of the Road Dan McCoy / Dan McLellan	George Strait	2:17	Spotify Rdio
15	Six Pack to Go Dick Hart / Johnny Lowe / Hank Thompson	George Strait feat: Hank Thompson	3:02	Spotify Rdio
16	All My Ex's Live in Texas Sanger D. Schafer / Lyndia Shafer	George Strait	3:20	Spotify Rdio
17	Am I Blue David Chamberlain	George Strait	3:06	Spotify Rdio
18	Famous Last Words of a Fool Dean Dillon / Rex Huston	George Strait	3:36	Spotify Rdio

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Baby Blue Aaron Barker	George Strait	3:34	Spotify Rdio
2	If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin') Tommy Collins	George Strait	2:20	Spotify Rdio
3	Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye Tony Martin / Troy Martin	George Strait	3:30	Spotify Rdio
4	Bigger Man Than Me Curtis Wayne	George Strait	2:51	Spotify Rdio
5	Hollywood Squares Larry Cordle / Wayland Patton / Jeff Tanguay	George Strait	2:43	Spotify Rdio
6	What's Going on in Your World David Chamberlain / Royce Porter / Red Steagall	George Strait	3:28	Spotify Rdio
7	Ace in the Hole Dennis Adkins	George Strait	2:38	Spotify Rdio
8	Love Without End, Amen Aaron Barker	George Strait	3:07	Spotify Rdio
9	Drinking Champagne Bill Mack	George Strait	3:35	Spotify Rdio
10	I've Come to Expect It from You Buddy Cannon / Dean Dillon	George Strait	3:45	Spotify Rdio
11	If I Know Me Pam Belford / Dean Dillon	George Strait	2:42	Spotify Rdio
12	You Know Me Better Than That Anna Lisa Graham / Tony Haselden	George Strait	3:03	Spotify Rdio
13	The Chill of an Early Fall Green Daniel / Gretchen Peters	George Strait	3:32	Spotify Rdio
14	Lovesick Blues Cliff Friend / Irving Mills	George Strait	2:57	Spotify Rdio
15	Milk Cow Blues Kokomo Arnold	George Strait	5:12	Spotify Rdio
16	Gone as a Girl Can Get Jerry Lane / Jerry Max Lane	George Strait	3:16	Spotify Rdio
17	So Much Like My Dad Bobby Emmons / Chips Moman	George Strait	3:26	Spotify Rdio
18	Trains Make Me Lonesome Paul Overstreet / Thom Schuyler	George Strait	3:46	Spotify Rdio

Track Listing - Disc 4

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Wonderland of Love Curtis Wayne	George Strait	2:56	Spotify Rdio
2	I Cross My Heart Steve Dorff / Eric Kaz	George Strait	3:31
3	Heartland John Bettis / Steve Dorff	George Strait	2:18
4	When Did You Stop Loving Me Monty Holmes / Donny Kees	George Strait	2:50
5	Overnight Male Richard Fagan / Rob Harbin / Kim Williams	George Strait	2:36
6	The King of Broken Hearts Jim Lauderdale	George Strait	3:09
7	Where the Sidewalk Ends Jim Lauderdale / John Leventhal	George Strait	3:10
8	Easy Come, Easy Go Aaron Barker / Dean Dillon	George Strait	3:05	Spotify Rdio
9	I'd Like to Have That One Back Aaron Barker / Bill Shore / Rick West	George Strait	3:52	Spotify Rdio
10	Lovebug Wayne Kemp / Curtis Wayne	George Strait	2:51	Rdio
11	The Man in Love With You Steve Dorff / Gary Harju	George Strait	3:23	Spotify Rdio
12	Just Look at Me Gerald Smith / Curtis Wayne	George Strait	3:10	Spotify Rdio
13	Stay Out of My Arms Jim Lauderdale	George Strait	2:36	Spotify Rdio
14	Big Ball's in Cowtown Hoyle Nix	George Strait	2:42	Spotify Rdio
15	Big One Gerry House / Devon O'Day	George Strait	2:10
16	Fly Me to the Moon Bart Howard	George Strait feat: Frank Sinatra	2:10	Spotify Rdio
17	Check Yes or No Dana Hunt Oglesby / Dan Wells	George Strait	3:20	Spotify Rdio
18	I Know She Still Loves Me Aaron Barker / Monty Holmes	George Strait	3:07	Spotify Rdio

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George Strait