I have recently been catching up ( about a decade late) on the phenomenon known as Garthmania. It turns out if you strip away the hype...he was and presumably still is quite a performer. "Scarecrow" was his last official studio album before retiring. Although not his best seller...it is a mature and satisfying album that has all the traits of country songwriting, love, loss, beer and humor performed in a less affected more straight forward style than some of his earlier work.