George Strait - "Cold Beer Conversation"

[bboat11]

Some kind soul posted the whole album on YouTube, so I figured it was time to finally create a Listening Party thread!

Track List:

1) It Was Love

2) Cold Beer Conversation

3) Let It Go

4) Goin' Goin' Gone

5) Something Going Down

6) Take Me To Texas

7) It Takes All Kinds

8) Stop And Drink

9) Everything I See

10) Rock Paper Scissors

11) Wish You Well

12) Cheaper Than A Shrink

13) Even When I Can't Feel It

Also, "Even When I Can't Feel It" got cut out in that video, so here is a separate one for that song:

[Deleted]

Thanks for making this bboat11 :)

I already said my thoughts in the other thread, but this is just a really great album. Honestly the only track I don't love or like here is "Let It Go", and that's at least decent. 30 some years in the business and he's still making quality country music :)

[dajross6]

This is actually a FANTASTIC album and better than anything he's released in maybe ten years. If George were still big on radio I could see single:

Let It Go (probably the 4th-5th best song on the album)
Cold Beer Conversation
It Was Love - Overly produced, but fits in with today's radio climate a bit more than anything else on the album. It's catchy and tells a good story, although it borrows the line "it was always too much, it was never enough" from the Chely Wright song
Everything I See - Fantastic song that is catchy enough and would be a #1 a few years back
Take Me To Texas - Would be / already is huge here in Texas, although probably not a single the entire country would latch on to

There are actually other songs here that are single material, but those are the ones I've come back to after listening through the album 5-6 times.

[gardyfan]

The album is Vintage George. I wish more artists were like him.

[onebuffalo]

Sept 27, 2015 15:02:46 GMT -5 gardyfan said:

The album is Vintage George. I wish more artists were like him.

The would all be named George Strait. Not a bad idea!

[dajross6]

"It Was Love" could be a #1 song, even on today's radio. I think it has potential to be the biggest chart song he's released this decade, which while not saying too much, would be his biggest song since maybe "I Saw God Today". I'm not saying it's my favorite George song he's released since then, but it's the one song on the album that keeps playing in my head. It's probably the least country song on the record, but hey that's what is successful these days so go with it!

[Deleted]

This is neck-and-neck with Don Henley's new release for #1 country album this week. Rhett's dropped out of the competition. CBC will likely land at #3 all-genre behind Fetty Wap and Drake.

[Daryl the Beryl]

Sept 30, 2015 0:19:10 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

CBC will likely land at #2 all-genre behind Fetty Wap.

and that Drake/Future mixtape thing for SPS

I think either George/Don will get the #1 on Album Sales, but SPS nonsense is favoring the two hip hop albums obviously.

[Deleted]

^I was just coming in here to edit my post. I had know idea Drake released a mixtape a week ago. Where have I been? LOL. Thanks, Daryl.

[renee75]

I'm in love with this album! Such great music from George!

[Andy]

Just finished listening to this for the first time. My first impression is that it's pretty much your standard order Strait album: not amazing but pretty solid. There are some tracks that lean a little too conventional thematically for my taste, but none if it is unpleasant, and there are some really excellent tracks. "Everything I See" is a stunner, "Rock Paper Scissors" has a goofy production but is actually pretty clever, and despite it being a retread from Joe Nichols' catalog, I found myself really enjoying "Cheaper Than a Shrink." I wish he would take some more risks in the material he chooses, but good stuff overall.

[onebuffalo]

#2 country, #4 top 200 album with 83,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait!

[Deleted]

Oct 4, 2015 14:16:46 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

#2 country, #4 top 200 album with 83,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait!

Wait this didn't hit the top Thomas Rhett better not be to blame for this one

[onebuffalo]

Oct 4, 2015 14:17:56 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

Oct 4, 2015 14:16:46 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

#2 country, #4 top 200 album with 83,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait!

Wait this didn't hit the top Thomas Rhett better not be to blame for this one

I just posted the Thomas Rhett and Don Henley numbers and chart positions.

[Deleted]

Oct 4, 2015 14:19:09 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Oct 4, 2015 14:17:56 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

Wait this didn't hit the top Thomas Rhett better not be to blame for this one

I just posted the Thomas Rhett and Don Henley numbers and chart positions.

Thank you I saw that. Yes today is a win for traditional country music.

[onebuffalo]

The #4 selling country CD in Canada!

[onebuffalo]

Rises one to #1 with 30,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait!

[bboat11]

Oct 11, 2015 15:23:10 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Holds at #2 with 32,000 sold.

Billboard says this is the #1 country album this week...

[onebuffalo]

Oct 12, 2015 19:15:56 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Oct 11, 2015 15:23:10 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Holds at #2 with 32,000 sold.

Billboard says this is the #1 country album this week...

This was the information I received Sunday, courtesy of Billboard:

Thomas Rhett’s Tangled Up slips 6-7 in its second week (just over 32,000 units; down 58 percent), George Strait’s Cold Beer Conversation is down 4-8 (32,000; down 63 percent), Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights rises 13-9 (30,000; up 4 percent) and Don Henley’s Cass County falls 3-10 (29,000; down 67 percent).

Now, Roughstock has the following:
1. Cold Beer Conversation-George Strait-30,000
2. Cass County-Don Henley-28,000
3. Tangled Up-Thomas Rhett-21,000

Now, I am going to have to amend all three posts from Sunday.

P.S.: ALL are edited.

[.indulgecountry]

Glad that this was still able to be a #1 album! I wasn't expecting this to get there since Don Henley held him off last week, but this was a nice surprise to see.

[bboat11]

I am finally ready to share my thoughts on this album. I am honestly somewhat disappointed by it. I don't know why George ditched Tony Brown as producer for this album after 20+ years of working with him, but I miss him. The production of this album is a mess. Many of the songs are just really loud, despite not being songs that lend themselves to being overproduced. The instruments kinda wash together in a way that I do not like. Also, I have to agree with everyone that has said this album gets better as it goes. The first half has no punch, and certainly does not hold a candle to the quality of the second-half.

Here are my rankings of the songs.


1) Rock Paper Scissors
2) Everything I See
3) It Was Love
4) Take Me To Texas


5) Cheaper Than A Shrink
6) Even When I Can't Feel It

:)
7) Stop And Drink
8) Something Going Down
9) Wish You Well
10) Cold Beer Conversation
11) Let It Go

:(
12) Goin' Goin' Gone


13) It Takes All Kinds

In closing, let me just say that the single choices thus-far have been absolutely atrocious. "Let It Go" and "Cold Beer Conversation" are definitely not bad songs, but there could have been so many better choices. Ideally, the singles would have gone:

1) It Was Love
2) Take Me To Texas
3) Everything I See
4) Rock Paper Scissors

Now that two single spots have already been wasted on songs that are good but not great, we will probably only get to see ONE (or two) of the great songs get released... My vote goes to "Everything I See", though it breaks my heart to rule out "Rock Paper Scissors", since it is the best uptempo song on the album.

My average song rating on iTunes: 4.31

Album score: B (86%)

That score is enough to make this album come in at last place in my ranking of his 2000s albums... Ouch! To be fair, even a super consistent artist like George Strait will not always be able to stay ahead of their own consistency. This album is still quite good; there are just numerous projects from the past decade and a half that are even better. From many artists, this would be a perfect album. But I have come to expect more from George Strait through the years. His albums do not usually have one half that completely outshines the other; they are normally consistent in quality throughout. However, I am excited to see how this album grows on me over time. They almost always do!

George Strait - A - 96%

Here For A Good Time - A - 94.55%

Somewhere Down In Texas - A - 94.55%

Love Is Everything - A - 93.85%

It Just Comes Natural - A - 93.33%

Honkytonkville - A - 93.33%

The Road Less Traveled - A- - 92%

Twang - A- - 90.77%

Troubadour - B+ - 89.23%

Cold Beer Conversation - B - 86.15%

[George Strait Junkie]

I wanted to do a review on this amazing album. But I couldn't first week of release. Now after a few weeks of it being on constant repeat. I can make my review.

This is my favorite album of his since 1991's The Chill of An Early Fall (My Favorite Record of His).

It was so hard picking songs that were better than the others because there are no songs better than the next they all are solid

so here's my order of the songs by the ones i love the most tho i love them all

1. Everything I See
2. Goin' Going Gone
3. Take Me To Texas
4. Cold Beer Conversation
5. It Takes All Kinds
6. Cheaper Than A Shrink
7. Rock, Paper, Scissors
8. Stop And Drink
9. It Was Love
10. Even When I Can't Feel It
11. Something Going Down
12. Wish You Well
13. Let It Go - love the song but im a bit burned out on it

10/10 amazing record the King still has it

[dajross6]

I agree that the single choices so far have been chosen due to what would make more money instead of quality of the music. "Let It Go" sounds like his last Billboard #1, and CBC mirrors the album name for recognition to try and move more units. I think It Was Love is the only song that can be a top 10 in today's radio climate, and Everything I See being the best song he's helped to write to date. Rock, Paper, Scissors is REALLY clever and Take Me To Texas is the song that would be a sure-fire #1 5-6 years ago. Today, this album will be mostly forgotten unless it picks up nominations at awards shows in 2016.