This is the closest thing to sharing a sunset and cooler with the King of Country. Cold Beer Conversation speaks to the legend’s strengths—gorgeous, sepia-tone vignettes of Texas life, old-fashioned romance, and some barstool wisdom thrown in. His peerless storytelling shines on “Cheaper Than a Shrink” and “Goin’ Goin’ Gone,” his warm voice as comforting and commanding as ever. There’s a fun nod to western swing (“It Takes All Kinds”) and rock ‘n’ roll (“Rock Paper Scissors”); otherwise Cold Beer Conversation is vintage Strait—authentic Texas country with no chaser.