George Strait is classic country, so it’s pretty sad when he looks at the music landscape today — and it just isn’t familiar.

“I don’t see a lot of my influence out there in country music today, out there being played on the radio,” he said in a recent Dallas Observer interview.

“They wanted a pop sounding country song … And I never was into any of that.”

“The country music scene is always changing, and the music is always changing. I’ve seen the pendulum swing this way and back this way. It’s very country, and then not so country,” said Strait, 64. “I think right now it’s kind of trending back to more traditional country music, which is what I like and I like to do. So I’m glad to see that.”

Maybe he’s thinking of “Forever Country,” the recent production featuring 30 musical performers crooning three iconic country songs: John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” and Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” The song is sitting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Music Chart.

Related: ‘Forever Country’ Makes Fans Cry

However, right below at No. 2 is Kenny Chesney’s song, “Setting the World on Fire” with pop star Pink. So it’s not swinging back too much — or too quickly.

Strait, who was actually kicked out of a band in the 1970s for not being country enough, seems to understand the trend toward more of a pop sound in country, even if he’s not keen on it.

“When I got signed at MCA Records in 1981, you had all kinds of things going on, shows like ‘Pop Goes the Country,'” he said. It was all about making a crossover hit, which would sell more records.

“They wanted a pop-sounding country song to get the pop music lovers and country music people to buy it. And I never was into any of that.”

But he said there have always been traditionalists who manage to win out — artists “like me, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis.”

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Strait, who retired from the road in 2014, is currently doing a Las Vegas gig that includes dates in December and February. He says his opening act, young country star Kacey Musgraves, 28, has “got it wired,” adding, “She’s a very good songwriter, very good performer, singer.”

And Strait is continuing to release new music. His box set, “Strait out of the Box: Part 2,” featuring 56 songs, including two new songs, is due out Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, in other country news, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have just announced they’ll be touring together next year. Their 65-city Soul2Soul World Tour starts April 7 in New Orleans and wraps in October 2017 in New York City. Pre-sale tickets will be available starting Friday, with general on-sale tickets starting Oct. 14.