George Strait
George Strait gets away with murder--with "Murder on Music Row," even. For example, Strait long ago adapted the radio-friendly drum sound that he andAlan Jacksonso rightfully dismiss on their notorious duet. And while he hasn't given up entirely on fiddle and steel, those instruments take a back seat to the stereotypically "pretty" pop guitar licks of a seamlessly constructed single such as "If You Can Do Anything Else." But Strait gets away with another kind of murder, too--the kind it's easy to commit when you know your devoted audience will buy literally anything you do. He's been cranking out these 10-song, 4-hits-per CDs for so long they're utterly interchangeable, and they all sell in the gazillions. That's not to say he doesn't also do it right sometimes, as on "Home Improvement." But he'd be a lot more likeable if he deigned to break a sweat, or just try something a little different now and again.--John Morthland