King George returns to the country charts and songwriting with new 'Twang' CD

July 8, 1:21 AMCountry Music ExaminerLisa L. Rollins

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The 13-track Twang features songs co-penned by George Strait,
something not witnessed since his 1982 debut. (Photo courtesy
of The Takeout Group.)

With nearly 70 million albums sold to date, George Strait continues his country-music reign with Twang, his forthcoming CD for the MCA labels that's set for release Aug. 11.

The 13-song offering is King George's 38th album to date and the follow-up to his platinum-selling Troubador, which was named “Best Country Album” at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Already Twang has spawned its first hit single, "Living For The Night," a number that was inked by Strait, his longtime songwriter of choice, Dean Dillon, and Strait's only son, George Strait Jr., credited as Bubba Strait, who makes his songwriting debut on Twang. In just a trio of weeks, the tune's rocketed to the Top 15 on the nation's country charts.

Ranked at third place behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley when it comes to all-time record sales, Strait's far from a stranger to the top of the music charts. However, it's not often that fans see the Texan pen his own material, as is the case with "Living For The Night," which signals the first time the Academy of Country Music's "Artist of the Decade" has recorded a song he's written since his 1982  “I Can’t See Texas From Here” from his 1982 debut, Strait Country.

Not surprisingly, Twang was once more produced by veteran Tony Brown and Strait, but what is surprising is that in addition to its first hit single, the forthcoming CD contains two more cuts co-written by Strait, “He's Got That Something Special” and “Out Of Sight Out Of Mind.”

With 57 No. 1 singles to his credit--which is the record for more No. 1 cuts than any artist in history, including Elvis--the finally Grammy-winning Strait's been credited with redefining popular music. To date, the ever-humble performer's 33 platinum-certified records have afforded him more RIAA platinum certifications thanany other country music ian.

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, making him one of a few artists to receive such an honor while still actively recording and producing music, Strait recently headlined the kick-off event at the new Dallas Cowboys' stadium, selling out the venue in under an hour.