Chill of an Early Fall

Amazon.com essential recording
This 1991 recording is notable for the rare appearance of George Strait's excellent road band, Ace in the Hole, on three tracks. Strait and the band romp through "Home in San Antone" and update Hank Williams updating Emmett Miller on the yodeling "Lovesick Blues." Best of all is Strait's version of "Milk Cow Blues," a Delta blues tune that became a favorite of Texas swing musicians in the 1930s. Strait has never sung with more style and soul on record. The rest of the album balances catchy contemporary country (the hit "You Know Me Better Than That") with more traditional fare (Harlan Howard's instant classic "Her Only Bad Habit Is Me"). --Rick Mitchell

Tracks:

The Chill Of An Early Fall
I've Convinced Everybody But Me
If I Know Me
You Know Me Better Than That
Anything You Can Spare
Home In San Antone
Lovesick Blues
Milk Cow Blues
Her Only Bad Habit Is Me
Is It Already Time

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1991 recording is notable for the rare appearance of George Strait's excellent road band, Ace in the Hole, on three tracks. Strait and the band romp through "Home in San Antone" and update Hank Williams updating Emmett Miller on the yodeling "Lovesick Blues." Best of all is Strait's version of "Milk Cow Blues," a Delta blues tune that became a favorite of Texas swing musicians in the 1930s. Strait has never sung with more style and soul on record. The rest of the album balances catchy contemporary country (the hit "You Know Me Better Than That") with more traditional fare (Harlan Howard's instant classic "Her Only Bad Habit Is Me"). --Rick Mitchell

Customer Reviews:

Neo-Traditional Country at its finest.......2006-12-22

I've been reading alot of reviews claiming that this album is "too country" or that it may not be up to par with other albums. First of all you need to understand that George Strait is as country as it gets in modern times. He is not pop-country. To those who don't get the "Milk Cow Blues", because the words might not make sense, it could be because the song was writen as a blues in the 1920s by Kokomo Arnold. It was picked up and turned country by Bob Wills, and later turned into a rock song by Elvis Presley, and modernized by Aerosmith. The lyrics are not the key to the Milk Cow Blues, listen to the music. Pop country features many different forms of synthesizers now, as opposed to talented musicians. You will be long in search of a fiddler with the skill of Gene Elders, or the piano and steel guitar player with the ability of Ronny Huckaby and Mike Daily, respectively. Country music used to be about music, and George does a great job of keeping that tradition, which believe it or not still has appeal to many.

If you do not like the "Lovesick Blues", you may just not like country music. Try Keith Urban, Rascall Flatts, or Faith Hill, as pop-"country" may be more your style. Even Georges later albums including "It Just Comes Natural" has more of a pop-produced feel that you may be used to. This CD does include some of Straits better new material including the eerie ballads "If I Know Me", "Is It Already Time" and "The Chill Of An Early Fall".

However if you relish classic country, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, and the like, "Home In San Antone"(another Bob Wills cover), "Her Only Bad Habit Is Me" and "Anything You Can Spare" are great additions to this Traditional style album and may be one of the best true country CDs of our time, making it is a must have for any true country fan.

One of the best George albums out there........2005-06-26

I have to disagree with other reviewers when I say that Lovesick Blues and Milk Cow Blues are the two best songs on this album. Hank Williams is and will always be the king of country music in my heart, and not many remakes of his songs do him justice, but George did. He sang it with heart, and I never dreamed he could yodel so well. Reviewers who prefer their country music watered down would not likely appreciate the Hank cover. Milk Cow Blues is just a hoot. I can just imagine George smiling the entire time this song is being sung, and who couldn't smile with such goofy lyrics? The ballads on this album are equally great. The title track and If I Know Me are perfect "George" ballads, but my favorite ballad didn't even make it as a single. Is It Already Time? is a heartbreaking song about losing a life partner to death. All in all, this is probably my favorite George album overall, outside of all the greatest hits albums.

ONE OF STRAIT's BEST.......2005-01-01

I have given reviews of quite a few George Strait CDs, and mentioned four of them being in my top FIVE. This is the other one. First off, I cannot believe that there can be ANY negative comments about it.This CD is George Strait at his best, it has everything you could want in country music: Humor, love, fiddles, sentiment, and great lyrics. It has my second favorite song "You Know Me Better Than That" (Only surpassed by "Living And Living Well"), it has "If I know Me", "Milk Cow Blues" (Talk about great western swing), "Lovesick Blues, and two gems you cannot get from "Strait Out Of The Box" "Home In San Antone", and "I've Convinced Everyone But Me". This is really one of Strait's best.

An average album from George is still pretty good.......2003-08-13

To be honest, "Chill of an Early Fall" is the best song on here and nothing else quite compares, "If I Know Me" coming close. But the others are enjoyable if you like his western swing sound.

The Chill of an early fall one of his best songs ever!.......2001-09-19

Another great album by George Strait. This 1991 release features once again the amazing capabilities that Strait continues to sing. It starts off great with The Chill of an early fall one of his best songs he ever sang in my opinion then the same continues with old Bob Wills type classic Home in San Antone many great songs like You know me better than that and many others. Although I did have a gripe with only two songs on this album that I really do not like they are Milk cow Blues and Lovesick Blues. Milk Cow Blues is to long and I understand that there is even a longer version of that song and this is the shortened version! Some of you fans might think Milk Cow Blues is one of his best but all of our tastes are different. Lovesick Blues is again just too country and I believe years ago it was going to be a single but when you hear it you'll understand why the radio stopped playing it George Stait kind of yodles on it hard and it's old Hank Williams stuff but it seem to only fit right for that time but not coming out of George. Overall Chill of an early fall is one of his best.

Music Album:

Music Album