Strait from the Heart
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 . There were three cover songs on the album: "Honky Tonk Crazy", which had been released a couple 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 "Tim McGraw". Recording. "Strait from the Heart" was recorded at Music  City Music Hall in Nashville, Tennessee. The album was fully recorded and mixed digitally. Reception. "Strait from the Heart" received positive reviews upon its release in 1982. On the music review website AllMusic, it received a perfect 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". 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". Jurek concludes: Personnel. Music Production