A 50-plus-year veteran of the music business who has charted more than 100 country hits, George Jones [ tickets ] finds himself in the unlikely position of currently being "hot" in the industry.

There's a definite buzz surrounding this 74-year-old native of Beaumont, TX. Both country fans and folks who listen to other types of music are talking about this artist these days.

He was up for the Best Male Country Vocal Performance trophy at the Grammy Awards held earlier this month for his excellent remake of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away." (He lost to Keith Urban, who currently ranks as the definition of "hot" in the country biz.)

Furthermore, many critics are calling the 2005 CD "Hits I Missed ... And One I Didn't"--on which Jones covers 11 hits by other artists as well as a remake of the his own smash "He Stopped Loving Her Today"--the singer's finest work in years.

Despite all this buzz, Jones remains the same ol' cowboy that longtime fans have been enjoying for decades. He sings classic songs with his classic voice and gives more in concert than anyone could rightfully expect from a man in his mid-'70s.

That was certainly the case on Sunday night (2/19) at the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, NV, where Jones and his band delivered nearly 30 songs in just under two hours.

In his prime, which lasted much longer than that of most singers, Jones was arguably the finest country singer to ever lasso a microphone. He can still hit those heights on occasion these days, but not for sustained periods.

That brings us to the sole problem with Sunday's show--he pushed himself too hard for too long. He sang more songs than his voice could take, and it showed by the end of the evening. Still, it's such a treat to hear this country legend sing that fans lapped up every single word, even if a few lacked the pristine beauty of classic George Jones.

Following a brief warm-up set by his eight-piece backing band, Jones took the stage looking as cool as can be--his silver hair perfectly combed, sporting slick tinted sunglasses and wearing a gorgeous dark suit with a matching turtleneck--and proceeded to hit the crowd with the great "Why Baby Why."

After that musical question, which amounted to Jones' first hit back in 1955, the crooner started to flip through the years and found solid gold at every stop along the way. He melted the crowd with a fine version of "Once You've Had the Best" (1973) and then revved up fans with the fast-paced "The Race is On" (1964).

His voice sounded incredibly strong at the start of the show as he continued through a gorgeous take on Merle Haggard's "I Always Get Lucky With You," which Jones scored a hit with in 1983, and "A Picture of Me Without You" (from 1972). Although his voice began to weaken in the second half of the show, Jones still managed to hit with such classic cuts as "White Lightning" (1959), "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" (1993) and, of course, "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980).

One of the more touching moments came on 1985's "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes," as Jones sang fondly of such friends as Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson while photos of the country legends were shown on overhead video screens.

That song seemed particularly poignant on this night. Not to be downbeat, but Jones is 74 and he won't be around forever. With visions of the dearly departed Cash and Jennings still fresh in their minds, fans couldn't help but wonder who could ever fill Jones' shoes once he's gone.

The answer, as delivered soundly on this night in Reno, is that no one else could ever fill these legendary boots. George Jones is one of a kind.