Editing George Strait (section)

===1990s===
[[File:George Strait on stage.jpg|thumb|upright|Strait performing live at the [[1st Mariner Arena]], Baltimore, Maryland on April 7, 2008]]
Strait began the decade with the release of his 10th studio album, ''[[Livin' It Up (album)|Livin' It Up]]'', which featured two number-one hits, including "[[Love Without End, Amen]]", his first multiweek hit, and "[[I've Come to Expect It From You]]". Both songs remained first for five weeks in 1990. ''[[Chill of an Early Fall]]'' shortly followed in 1991, and received positive reviews. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' noted that the album marked a shift for Strait from "repeating himself" in his previous works to producing different material.<ref name="ew-nash"/> It produced the number-one songs "[[If I Know Me]]" and "[[You Know Me Better Than That]]", but ended his streak of 31 straight top-10 hits with the cover of "[[Lovesick Blues]]", which peaked at number 24. The record blocked his run of eight top-charting albums with its peak of number four. In the spring of 1992, ''[[Holding My Own]]'' was released. It did not produce any number ones, but did include two top-five songs, including "[[So Much Like My Dad]]".

Later in 1992, Strait played the main character in the film ''[[Pure Country]]'', and released the film's soundtrack. It was his most successful studio album, producing such hits as "[[Heartland (George Strait song)|Heartland]]", "[[I Cross My Heart]]", and "[[When Did You Stop Loving Me]]", and peaked at number one and number six respectively on the Country and [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album charts. The success continued with his next album, ''[[Easy Come, Easy Go (George Strait album)|Easy Come, Easy Go]]'' in 1993, which reached the top five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and featured the hits "I'd Like to Have That One Back", "The Man in Love with You", and the number-one title track.<ref name="allmusic-erlewine"/>

His next four albums, including ''[[Lead On]]'' in 1994, ''[[Blue Clear Sky]]'' in 1996, ''[[Carrying Your Love with Me]]'' in 1997, and 1998's ''[[One Step at a Time (George Strait album)|One Step at a Time]]'', all charted at number one, with ''Blue Clear Sky'' claiming the spot on its debut week, and ''Carrying Your Love with Me'' peaking at number one on the'' Billboard ''200 for the first time in Strait's career. This series of albums produced eight number-one singles for Strait, including "[[You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody]]", "[[Carried Away (George Strait song)|Carried Away]]", "[[One Night at a Time]]", and "[[I Just Want to Dance with You]]".<ref name="allmusic-erlewine"/>

During this period, Strait also released a four-disc, box-set career retrospective, ''[[Strait Out of the Box]]'', in 1995, which also included two new songs, the top 5 hit "[[I Know She Still Loves Me]]" and the No.1 hit "[[Check Yes or No]]". It became the second-best selling box set ever with shipments of 8 million in the United States. He was named as the CMA's Top Male Vocalist in 1997 and 1998.<ref name="allmusic-erlewine"/> Starting in 1997, and continuing until 2001, Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival, which included artists such as [[Tim McGraw]], [[Faith Hill]], [[Kenny Chesney]], [[Alan Jackson]], and others.<ref name="allmusic-erlewine"/>

In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible, the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice. It played only a small number of dates, usually no more than 20 a year, but still managed to be the ninth-biggest grossing tour of 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://math.illinoisstate.edu/day/courses/old/312/toursdata.html |title=Top concert tours of North America in 1998 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 28, 1998 |website=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=January 28, 2021 |quote=<!--Not stated--> |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307165510/https://math.illinoisstate.edu/day/courses/old/312/toursdata.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Strait completed the decade with the album ''[[Always Never the Same (George Strait album)|Always Never the Same]]'' in 1999, which peaked at number two on country charts and matched the cross-over success of ''Pure Country'' by reaching number six on the ''Billboard'' 200. The record produced the hits "[[What Do You Say to That]]", "[[Meanwhile (George Strait song)|Meanwhile]]", and the number-one "[[Write This Down (song)|Write This Down]]". Reviews of the album's material were generally mixed, but ''Entertainment Weekly'' observed that at this point in his career, Strait could record the "most lightweight" material and "make it soar" on the radio with his "grace".<ref name="ew-nash"/> All in all, Strait scored 17 number-one hits on the ''Billboard'' country airplay charts in the decade, and carried his successes into the next century.<ref name="cmt-about"/>