Strait With a Chaser: Country Legend Serves Up Satisfying 'Twang' With Surprises

George Strait, the Academy of Country Music's artist of the decade, is back with "Twang," his 26th studio album, a collection as solid as anything the reliable south Texan has ever released.

A masterful interpreter of songs, Strait picks up the pen for only the second time in his career. The result is the heart-rending "Living for the Night," a collaboration with son Bubba and Dean Dillon (who's written several Strait hits). With sharp, poignant lyrics such as "Every night I venture out/Into those neon arms that hold me tight," "Living" is a gorgeous portrait of a grieving man and one of 2009's strongest singles.

Bubba further proves himself as the solo writer of the Marty Robbinsesque cowboy song/murder ballad "Arkansas Dave," by far the best cut of the album. Unfortunately, it's immediately followed by the worst track of the album, "The Breath You Take," which centers on a hackneyed sentiment best left to the MySpace pages of teenagers: "Life's not the breath you take, but the moments that take your breath away." Strait makes it listenable, just barely.

A very pleasant surprise is the cover of traditional Mexican folk song "El Rey," which Strait sings in Spanish. Although Mexican and Tejano influences aren't new to country music, it'll be interesting to see how the homogenous format of country radio -- which hasn't had a Hispanic star since the late-'90s heyday of Raul Malo's Mavericks and Rick Trevino -- will react to such an adventurous move from its elder statesman.

"Pure Country," his one and only feature film, is getting the Broadway treatment with young country singer Joe Nichols in the starring role. Thankfully, though, Strait continues to keep both feet firmly planted in tradition, no matter what language he's singing in.

DOWNLOAD THESE: "Arkansas Dave," "El Rey," "Living for the Night"