The Showdown: Jon Pardi vs. George Strait

Jon Pardi is proving to be hard to beat in the Showdown, but he's facing a tough new challenge from none other than the legendary George Strait.

The young California native has changed direction for his new single, "Head Over Boots," which pairs a swinging beat with a lyric that's a love song, but not overly sentimental. His devoted fan base just gave him his fourth straight win in the Showdown, positioning him to compete for the Hall of Fame today and over the weekend — but it won't be easy.

Strait has just released "Cold Beer Conversation," which is the title song of a new album he dropped unexpectedly this week. The country icon's latest details a conversation between two old friends as they confront the concerns of middle-ages and older men, and it does so without veering into maudlin territory, while keeping up the classic mid-tempo feel that Strait has built his career upon. Will Strait finally unseat Pardi?

Listen to clips of both Pardi and Strait’s songs and vote for your favorite here. You can vote once every hour until this Showdown ends on Monday at 8AM ET, so come back and vote often to be sure your artist wins. The winner of this matchup will face a new challenger on Monday.

Listen to Jon Pardi, “Head Over Boots”

Listen to George Strait, “Cold Beer Conversation”

Showdown Rules: The song with the most votes wins, and the winner goes on to face a new challenger in the next Showdown. Vote as much as once per hour online. If a song wins five Showdowns in a row, it will be retired into the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame to allow for new songs to compete. Some songs will be considered for a second Showdown if voter turnout is healthy in a losing effort.