20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of George Strait

1	Famous Last Words of a Fool 3:37
2	Baby Blue 3:33
3	If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin') 2:20
4	Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye 3:29
5	What's Going on in Your World 3:28
6	Ace in the Hole 2:37
7	Love Without End, Amen 3:06
8	I've Come to Expect It from You 3:45
9	Easy Come, Easy Go 3:03
10	I Cross My Heart 3:31
11	All My Ex's Live in Texas 3:20
12	You Look So Good in Love 3:12

Barnes & Noble

In his 22-year career, George Strait has racked up more million-selling albums than any country artist in history. This collection has some glaring omissions, but it also boasts a dozen beautifully realized blockbusters, all richly conceived and masterfully rendered. Rife with good humor and hot fiddling, the jaunty "Ace in the Hole" is the best shot of western swing this side of Asleep at the Wheel. At the other end of the spectrum, the tuneful ballad "Love Without End, Amen" offers an unvarnished, moving message about a father's duty to his progeny. Be it a love song as tender as "Baby Blue," a number as expertly crafted as "I Cross My Heart," or upbeat celebrations full of joie de vivre like "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and the hilarious "All My Ex's Live in Texas," Strait plays his country straight, keeping the production flourishes in check, minimizing the use of strings and orchestras, and, for the most part, fronting an accomplished small combo that deftly navigates between honky-tonk and western swing. Strait, a consummate vocalist whose feel for the music improves with age, becomes a juggernaut in front of his just-right backing band. The song's the thing with Strait, and this disc boasts 12 unassailable tracks to prove the point. David McGee

All Music Guide

George Strait himself chose the 12 number one country hits included in this midline-priced compilation, which presents digitally remastered tracks. The hits ranged from "You Look So Good in Love," which topped the charts at the start of 1984, to "Easy Come, Easy Go," a number one in October 1993. During this period, an additional 11 Strait singles also reached the country summit, so this is just a sampling. Some of his biggest hits (i.e., ones that stayed at number one longer) -- such as "Love Without End, Amen" and "I've Come to Expect It From You" -- are included, while others -- such as "You Know Me Better Than That" and "If I Knew Me" -- are not. In the less easily quantifiable category of signature songs, again some are included, notably "All My Ex's Live in Texas," while others, such as "Ocean Front Property," are missing. So Strait easily could come up with a second volume for 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection without even getting too far into the 1990s. And he probably will. William Ruhlmann