Hard to believe that George Strait has been making music for the past 25 years. His style feels both traditional and contemporary. Perhaps because of that he rarely stoops to the theatrics of other male country singers. Chill Of An Early Fall is now 15 years old yet it more than holds its own against what passes for country music today.

Strait is at his best when he sings songs of woe, and the first four tracks on the album allow him to do just that, backed by a crack group of session musicians led by steel guitarist Paul Franklin and fiddle player Johnny Gimble. The songs can be strung together to tell a story. In the opening title track, he discovers that his lover has been meeting with an old friend, but he is powerless to do anything about it. The chill comes from the feeling that he will soon be left out in the cold.

"I've Convinced Everybody But Me" has Strait pretending to be over his heartache, smiling on the outside to mask his real emotions, while "You Know Me Better Than That," addressed to his ex-, shows him to be afraid that a new love in his life will discover he's a phony.

But in one of those near-perfect cowboy weepers, he reconciles with his woman in "If I Know Me." It is one of those songs that drips with sentimentality, yet you become invested in the emotional well-being of the characters.

With such a solid first side, Strait chooses to loosen his collar, relax, and record a few traditional numbers on the back half of the album. Maybe he was trying to show the younger generation of country stars at the time (hello, Garth Brooks!) what the music was all about. In any case, he and his band break into a nice Western swing a la Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys on "Home in San Antone." Next come two old country-blues favorites that Wills himself might have played in his day, "Lovesick Blues" and "Milk Cow Blues." Gimble, who actually played with Wills as a member of his Texas Playboys, and fellow fiddle-player Gene Elders tear it up on both tracks as the band gets the chance to stretch out and play.

I take Chill of an Early Fall to be a true country and western album in that the first half is devoted to contemporary country numbers, with "If I Know Me," and "You Know Me Better Than That" reaching Billboard country's #1 spot, and the title track hitting #3. On the second side, Strait works the Western side of the equation, lest anyone doubt how deep his roots run in this music.

Strait has always been more of an interpreter than a writer, and his choice of material is almost always impeccable. With so much experience under his belt, it would be nice to see him write some songs of his own. But even if he doesn't you can feel safe that he will put together a solid album. George Strait is about as close to money in the bank as you can get in country music these days.

Recommended: Yes