Strait from the Heart

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Strait from the Heart
Strait From the Heart.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 3, 1982 (1982-06-03)
RecordedSeptember 1981 – April 1982
Studio Music City Music Hall (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length28:45
Label MCA
Producer Blake Mevis
George Strait chronology
Strait Country
(1981)
Strait from the Heart
(1982)
Right or Wrong
(1983)
Singles from Strait from the Heart
  1. "Fool Hearted Memory"
    Released: May 27, 1982
  2. "Marina del Rey"
    Released: September 16, 1982
  3. "Amarillo by Morning"
    Released: January 14, 1983
  4. "A Fire I Can't Put Out"
    Released: May 19, 1983

Strait from the Heart is the second studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on June 3, 1982, by MCA Records. The album includes Strait's first No. 1 single, "Fool Hearted Memory", as well as follow-up singles "Marina del Rey", "Amarillo by Morning" and "A Fire I Can't Put Out", reaching No. 6, No. 4, and No. 1 respectively on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The album peaked at No. 18 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Strait from the Heart is certified platinum by the RIAA.

Contents

There were three cover songs on the album: "Honky Tonk Crazy", which had been released a couple of months earlier in 1982 by the duo of Gary Stewart and Dean Dillon on their Brotherly Love album; 2) the Guy Clark song, "Heartbroke", which was first recorded by Rodney Crowell on his 1980 album, But What Will the Neighbors Think ; and 3) "Amarillo by Morning" which was first recorded by Terry Stafford in 1973. "The Only Thing I Have Left" was later recorded by Tim McGraw for his 1993 debut album of the same name.

Recording

Strait from the Heart was recorded at Music City Music Hall in Nashville, Tennessee. The album was recorded and mixed digitally. [1]

Musical style and composition

Strait from the Heart is a neotraditional country, honky-tonk, and countrypolitan album that continues the styles of Strait's debut album Strait Country. [2] [3] [4] [5] The album also has musical elements of Western swing and country pop. [5] [2]


Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]

Strait from the Heart received positive reviews upon its release in 1982. On the music review website AllMusic, it received five out of five stars. In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek called Strait "a singer of uncommon vitality who could sing honky-tonk, countrypolitan, and the new traditional sounds". [4] Jurek singled out the depth and breadth of the singer's talent, delivering his first number one hit, "Fool Hearted Memory", a slow two-step, alongside the equally successful ballads "Amarillo by Morning", "Marina del Rey", and "A Fire I Can't Put Out", as well as the raw traditional numbers "Honky Tonk Crazy", "Heartbroke", "I Can't See Texas from Here", and the barroom anthem "The Steal of the Night"—songs that "offer a portrait of Strait as a man who can do it all". [4] Jurek concludes:

His work is not over-produced, and his voice rings clear and true, offering only what the song needs to reveal itself to the listener. Strait from the Heart may not be the exact beginning of the story, but it is the first part of the legend. [4]

In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the album 19 on its 100 Greatest Country Albums of All Time publication. [6]

Track listing

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fool Hearted Memory"
2:40
2."Honky Tonk Crazy"
2:29
3."The Only Thing I Have Left" Clay Blaker 3:28
4."The Steal of the Night"
2:40
5."I Can't See Texas from Here" George Strait 2:29
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Marina del Rey"
  • Dillon
  • Dycus
3:03
7."Lover in Disguise"
  • Mevis
  • Jim Dowell
2:30
8."Heartbroke" Guy Clark 3:34
9."Amarillo by Morning"
2:53
10."A Fire I Can't Put Out"Darryl Staedtler3:00
Total length:28:45 [4]

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Chart positions

Chart (1982)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums18

References

  1. Strait from the Heart (liner notes). George Strait. Universal City, CA: MCA Records. 1982. pp. 1–2. MCAD–31117.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 "Vintage Album Review – George Strait's "Strait From The Heart"". Saving Country Music. August 4, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  3. "World Records, No. 14: George Strait – 'Strait From the Heart' (1982)". The Musical Divide. May 8, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jurek, Thom. "Strait from the Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Humphrey, Mark. "Strait Country/Strait from the Heart Review". AllMusic . Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  6. Freeman, Jon (August 30, 2022). "The 100 Greatest Country Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 23, 2022.