From his delightful, bluesy Texas swing-styled "Put Yourself In My Shoes," Clint laid down some simply superior music. The big hit of the disc, "One More Payment," is sharp, toe-tapping Texas swing with clever lyrics, terrific guitar licks from Clint and partner Hayden Nicholas, and some mighty fine pedal steel playing from Jeff Peterson. The other chart-toppers here are the mournful ballad "Where Are You Now?" and the weeper "Loving Blind." But some of the finest tunes on this disc never saw radio or the charts, strong tunes such as "The Old Man" which I consider one of the sweetest tunes ever recorded ("Will I ever be the old man with words young'uns ponder on?/Will I ever take a lady's hand? And will I ever be the old man who finally is too far gone/Will there come a day when I can't stand? Tell me am I gonna live that long?") , and growling, gritty "The Goodnight-Loving," pure western with a cowboy feel so strong you can feel the cold winds of winter on the Raton Pass.

But that's not all. "This Nightlife," "Muddy Water," and "A Heart Like Mine" are all just as excellent. Each song is a winner there's no "filler" on this album. In recent years Clint has gotten a long way from his Texas swing/Western roots. But here they show in grand and glorious abundance, big as Texas and deep as the Gulf of Mexico. When Clint Black wants to sing a country song, it's hard to top him. This is what Texas music should sound like, because Clint can sure do it right.

Review by Kathy Coleman.