George Strait released a new album on Tuesday, and the early buzz on the project suggests that "Troubadour" is one of the best he's ever made. Given that it's the 37th time he's recorded an album, it's impressive that he's still pushing himself creatively, a facet of his work that's duly noted by Little Big Town, who opened for him on tour this year.

"You wonder why isn't he just at the house?" group member Karen Fairchild says. "He's a multi-millionaire, and is there any other level of success that he could even attain? He's done everything. But there's still that hunger in him, and that's something that I've been inspired by. He's excited about this record, and for the fans and everyone to hear it, and he's still moved by a song. We talked about 'I Saw God Today' with him, and he's still moved by seeing the crowd light up to a lyric like that. We're very inspired by that."

The George Strait/Little Big Town road show comes to a close this Friday in Baltimore. Little Big Town moves on to dates with Sugarland and then with Martina McBride, while George heads to Columbia, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., wrapping up his 2008 tour Sunday with Miranda Lambert opening the final two dates.