22 More Hits  (Audio CD) 
by George Strait

George Strait has amassed so many charting singles that his record company has nearly run out of compilation titles. Now, fresh from Strait's 2007 CMA Album of the Year Award (for It Just Comes Natural), here comes 22 More Hits, a collection of singles that stopped short of number one but which built his career. "The Fireman," "When Did You Stop Loving Me," and "Lovebug" are fine reminders of his bar-stool-hugging days, when Strait spoke the honky-tonk gospel in a flat Texas drawl. That, of course, was before he waved goodbye to George Jones and Buck Owens (let alone western-swing master Bob Wills) and shaved off most of his rough edges for overwhelmingly smooth, mid-tempo fare like "How `Bout Them Cowgirls." An appreciative nod to females everywhere, if not all the girls he's loved before, it's a perfect example of how Strait, the consummate country crooner, can elevate average material to glory. But it's also an indication of just how perilously close he could come to being the Julio Iglesias of Nashville if he doesn't watch it. Spin a song like "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)" and you'll remember when Strait could be downright--gasp--dangerous! --Alanna Nash