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.
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".[1] 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".[1] 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.[1]
In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the album 19 on its 100 Greatest Country Albums of All Time publication.[3]
^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)
