George Strait - Honky Tonk Time Machine

[George Strait Junkie]

[Deleted]

“Some Nights” should be the follow up single after “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar”.

[phil1996]

Great stuff as always from The King

Favorites: Every Little Honkytonk Bar, Some Nights, Weight Of The Badge, Honkytonk Time Machine, Sing One With Willie

[George Strait Junkie]

played this album bout 3 times last night in a row. before i went to sleep. now im on my 5th play. im sure it wont be the last today. and the album just gets way better every listen. this may be one of his greatest albums of all time. so hard to rank. but im counting this as my 1st impressions rank. so room to change later on. here we go.

there are no bad songs. i love them all. some had to be ranked low and high lol. thats how ranking works.

1. Blue Water - man the way he sings the hell out of this song just makes me feel good im shocked that this is my favorite as of now
2. Every Little Honky Tonk Bar - figured this would be the favorite and it still is just not thee favorite
3. Honky Tonk Time Machine - a song that will pull you out of your seat and make you dance lol and i dont dance
4. Take Me Away - hit single right here i think this could be a huge smash if they release it
5. Old Violin - wow not much leaves me speechless but this version left my jaw on the floor the king nailed it
6. Sometimes Love - another classic George song
7. Some Nights - so true i can relate to this song alot
8. God And Country Music - just beautiful
9. The Weight of the Badge - a song i was surprised how good it came out not to preachy just perfect got the message across
10. Codigo - still a jam no way could it compare to anything above but still love it
11. Two More Wishes - another classic Jim Lauderdale song makes its way to king George and he nails it as usal
12. Sing One With Willie - great song and great to finally have them sing one together
13. What Goes Up - again another solid track just nothing that could beat any of the other tracks

[Deleted]

Mar 29, 2019 8:59:40 GMT -5 George Strait Junkie said:

played this album bout 3 times last night in a row. before i went to sleep. now im on my 5th play. im sure it wont be the last today. and the album just gets way better every listen. this may be one of his greatest albums of all time. so hard to rank. but im counting this as my 1st impressions rank. so room to change later on. here we go.

there are no bad songs. i love them all. some had to be ranked low and high lol. thats how ranking works.

1. Blue Water - man the way he sings the hell out of this song just makes me feel good im shocked that this is my favorite as of now
2. Every Little Honky Tonk Bar - figured this would be the favorite and it still is just not thee favorite
3. Honky Tonk Time Machine - a song that will pull you out of your seat and make you dance lol and i dont dance
4. Take Me Away - hit single right here i think this could be a huge smash if they release it
5. Old Violin - wow not much leaves me speechless but this version left my jaw on the floor the king nailed it
6. Sometimes Love - another classic George song
7. Some Nights - so true i can relate to this song alot
8. God And Country Music - just beautiful
9. The Weight of the Badge - a song i was surprised how good it came out not to preachy just perfect got the message across
10. Codigo - still a jam no way could it compare to anything above but still love it
11. Two More Wishes - another classic Jim Lauderdale song makes its way to king George and he nails it as usal
12. Sing One With Willie - great song and great to finally have them sing one together
13. What Goes Up - again another solid track just nothing that could beat any of the other tracks

Can I ask your opinion on “Sometimes Love”?

I feel this song is sorely missing a 2nd verse.

1st verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus

When I got thru the first verse and first chorus I was blown away at how good this song is, don’t get me wrong it’s still great. I just kinda feel like it’s falls flat as the song gets to the bridge.

[gardyfan]

Just finished this one up and I can dream of an album that has 13 singles released, right? Might be the best album in years from anyone. Pure country at its best.

[jimmy's carhartt]

Yep, not a bad song on here. It's great, solid release.

Highlights: Some Nights, Sometimes Love, Honky Tonk Time Machine, God and Country Music, Every Little Honky Tonk Bar, Sing One With Willie, Old Violin

Not a bad song, and nothing qualifies as filler either. Every song stood out to me in some way. Two More Wishes is probably the closest to filler, but the hook is clever and having it slotted #2 helps it stand out.

[tim]

I’ve already listened to this a handful of times throughout the day and have to say George delivers a pretty solid album (does he ever disappoint though?!). I like this quite a bit more than his previous release Cold Beer Conversation but still wouldn’t call it his best work. There’s just something about Chuck Ainlay’s production that falls a bit flat for me and I’m not really sure how to describe it other than it doesn’t sound quite as tight and polished. Even so that bit of an unpolished sound isn’t a bad thing as George sounds quite relaxed on this album and seems to have had a lot of fun recording it.

The immediate highlight for me is “Some Nights” because not only can I connect with the lyrics but it of course mentions my hometown of Austin. This really is a great song and one of the best on the album. Other songs that immediately caught my attention were “Blue Water”, “Take Me Away”, and “Old Violin” which really is another standout track and a great cover.

I’m one of the lucky ones that actually got to see George and Willie sing the song “Sing One with Willie” together back in January during the taping of the Willie Nelson tribute concert in Nashville (should be on TV sometime later this year). I still can’t believe it’s taken them this long to record a song together (I’m still waiting on that Reba duet!).

I’m still waiting on my vinyl delivery so can’t wait to spin this one some more!

[codyj100]

I really enjoyed Cold Beer Conversation and I was curious they'd go for the radio-friendly approach on this album because it's been awhile. I was wrong and frankly, I'm happy about that. This is easily his best album in years. I appreciate that the more legendary acts (George, Reba, etc) are going back to the sounds that inspire and drive their creativity. I think George sounds relaxed and more like he enjoyed the recording process of this album. 

My overall rankings:

1. God and Country Music
2. Some Nights
3. Every Little Honky Tonk Bar
4. Blue Water
5. The Weight Of The Badge
6. Sing One With Willie
7. Codigo
8. Old Violin
9. Two More Wishes
10. Take Me Away
11. Honky Tonk Time Machine
12. Sometimes Love
13. What Goes Up

There is really not a bad song on this album. Even the songs I ranked toward the bottom fluctuate to the top on any given listen. "Some Nights" and "Take Me Away" could be singles at any point. 

[sabre14]

Not going to give full thoughts right now but after listening to the album a couple times now, the two standouts for me are “Some Nights” and “Blue Water.” Definitely the candidates to be radio singles after “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar”.

[recordyear]

Predicted to have 40-45k pure sales and 45-50k SPS first week. #4 overall.

[dajross6]

When I hear a new George Strait album, I usually try to predict singles. Not a lot on this album that could be played at radio today unfortunately. There are two:

-Every Little Honky Tonk Bar (likely a top 15 song)
-Some Nights (this is a classic GS mid-tempo song he's taken to the top multiple times, but likely won't crack the top 40)

And probably two songs that would be released if this was before 2007:

-Take Me Away (will not chart)
-Honky Tonk Time Machine (this would be a great 4th single 20 years ago)

I really like the album, and am grateful I got to hear another GS album. Radio has unfortunately moved on from George, and honestly I don't think MCA does a lot to help in this regard. They passed up a sure-hit last album with "It Was Love" that could be played on today's radio with the over-production modern sound and chart really well. This could have been George's decision that he didn't want his name tied to a single in that way (who knows) but it was a missed opportunity.

Overall, I love the album. There are a few that I immediately skip because unlike others here, I feel like they are more filler:

The Weight of the Badge - Not a song I find interesting, the same way I didn't really enjoy "I Believe"
Sing One with Willie - It's a novelty song, but not that interesting to me. George has had one career reflecting song on his last few albums, and this is that song.
God and Country Music - Doesn't have much of a hook for me
Old Violin - This has been unremarkable to me so far. It could click though

The rest are on constant play, and I think this overall offering is in the top half of George's work. Some Nights is the best on the album, so here's hoping radio gets a chance to hear it :)

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2019 10:54:39 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

When I hear a new George Strait album, I usually try to predict singles. Not a lot on this album that could be played at radio today unfortunately. There are two:

-Every Little Honky Tonk Bar (likely a top 15 song)
-Some Nights (this is a classic GS mid-tempo song he's taken to the top multiple times, but likely won't crack the top 40)

And probably two songs that would be released if this was before 2007:

-Take Me Away (will not chart)
-Honky Tonk Time Machine (this would be a great 4th single 20 years ago)

I really like the album, and am grateful I got to hear another GS album. Radio has unfortunately moved on from George, and honestly I don't think MCA does a lot to help in this regard. They passed up a sure-hit last album with "It Was Love" that could be played on today's radio with the over-production modern sound and chart really well. This could have been George's decision that he didn't want his name tied to a single in that way (who knows) but it was a missed opportunity.

Overall, I love the album. There are a few that I immediately skip because unlike others here, I feel like they are more filler:

The Weight of the Badge - Not a song I find interesting, the same way I didn't really enjoy "I Believe"
Sing One with Willie - It's a novelty song, but not that interesting to me. George has had one career reflecting song on his last few albums, and this is that song.
God and Country Music - Doesn't have much of a hook for me
Old Violin - This has been unremarkable to me so far. It could click though

The rest are on constant play, and I think this overall offering is in the top half of George's work. Some Nights is the best on the album, so here's hoping radio gets a chance to hear it :)

I agree with you that “Some Nights” has to be the follow up single. Radio might give it a chance because they are giving “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” one. Who knows anymore.

[onebuffalo]

#1 country, #4 top 200 album with 44,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait.

[lady𝓐fan]

Apr 7, 2019 15:22:45 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

#1 country, #4 top 200 album with 44,000 sold. Congratulations, George Strait.

And the highest sales week for a country album in 2019 (so far)!