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George Strait - River of Love
By: Matt Bjorke

I guess it would figure that ol' King George would release a single that reminds one of all of those beach-y Kenny Chesney songs just as Chesney releases a song that reminds me of a classic Strait song. Certainly this development will have many fans wondering exactly what MCA Nashville was thinking with "River Of Love" but it is an undoubtedly fun song. Written by Shawn Camp, Billy Burnette and Dennis Morgan (Who sing harmony vocals on the track), the song finds Strait singing about a guy using a line to a girl about going out on a boat with him. after that line, there's nothing really interesting about the song, other than the spirited steel guitar solo and band performance. It's all about feel and groove. It certainly doesn't have the feel of a #1 Strait hit but then again, it's a George Strait single which means it should at least go Top 10. I would've preferred the label to have released something like "House With No Doors" or "Make Her Fall In Love" instead.

- http://www.roughstock.com/blog/george-strait-river-of-love

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Posted by Blake Boldt

Country icon George Strait follows the title track of his latest album, Troubadour, with the new, calypso-laced “River of Love.”

Troubadour is light on radio-friendly material, and MCA leaves the Patty Loveless duet (”House of Cash”) and the Jamey Johnson co-write (”House with No Doors”) on the shelf in favor of this fun, yet frivolous song.

The sound of the steel guitar solo gives this song a nice boost, but it’s window dressing to a disappointing lyric. The narrator implores his potential lover to give in to his “stream of kisses ten miles long,” and his persuasion involves the serenade of his sweet voice and the strumming of a ukelele. Strait sells silly quite well, but this is beyond his reach.

Grade: B-

Written by Billy Burnette, Shawn Camp and Dennis Morgan

- http://www.countryuniverse.net/2008/11/11/review-george-strait-river-of-love/

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Single Review: “River Of Love” by George Strait

Posted by cowboybleau on December 9, 2008

It’s always nice to see George Strait take on new ground in the genre. For his third single from Troubadour he takes a more island feel to explore the fun of being in love. Now George isn’t the first person you think of when you consider tropical country music (see Kenny Chesney), so how does he stack up when taking on a song like this.

The answer is pretty good. It may seem out of place for George to take on a song that explores the boundaries of his traditional country sounds by using tropical country music to his advantage, but he does it well and with respect to his own sound. In fact this song is the most enjoyable George has had in a while and actually has you singing along by the second verse with it’s catchy hook “Lets go roooooooooolin’ on a river of love“. It’s got a nice beat to it and everything and is a nice turn for George who has recently made hits mostly from slow songs or traditional mid-tempo sounds. It may not be considered “the real George Strait” but I’m diggin’ it.

Listen: www.myspace.com/georgestrait

Grade: B+

- http://countrycentral.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/single-review-river-of-love-by-george-strait/

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George Strait- “River of Love”

Posted by Matt F. on November 15, 2008

The last time I blogged about a George Strait single (”Troubadour”) I stated that George could do no wrong. Well, his current single comes as close to wrong as George can get.

“River of Love” does not have much substance to it as at least half of the song is George singing “river of love” and an instrumental. The verses don’t do much for me and are very forgettable.

That said, it has a few things goes for it. First, it’s a George Strait single, so it’s an automatic Top 20. Second, it actually has a good sound to it. Finally, it’s not the same old, same old that artists keep trying to put out there. I do think that the weaknesses in the song will keep it from making the Top 10, and this song will probably end up peaking somewhere between #11 and #15.

Chart Prediction- Top 15

To listen, visit George’s MySpace page. If the song is not on his “Featured Playlist” when you visit, just click on the drop down box and then click on “Troubadour.”

- http://cmlchart.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/george-strait-river-of-love/