become a No. 1 pop and country hit in 1960. Robbins was arguably the most surefooted and accomplished singer in all country music, and that was never more obvious than on these Western ballads performed to often breathtaking perfection with a very small group and a vocal trio. Other titles include "Big Iron" (also a Top 30 hit), "Running Gun," and Western classics like "Cool Water," "Billy the Kid," and "The Strawberry Roan." Three extra tracks flesh out the 1999 release, including "Saddle Tramp" (the B-side of "Big Iron") and "The Hanging Tree" (title song from the 1959 Gary Cooper Western). --Colin Escott  (less)

be just another of his elaborate put-ons, on par with his affection for female mud wrestling. But his very real death guaranteed his legacy. R.E.M. paid him tribute several years ago with the movie's title track, and now they've come back to finish the job, contributing the film's score and "The Great Beyond," a melancholy number that stands as one of R.E.M.'s strongest songs in years. Several tracks of Kaufman himself--leading a spirited romp through the Mighty Mouse theme song, yodeling a sensitive, country-tinged "Rose Marie," singing as Tony Clifton (belting out a terse "I Will Survive"), and then inviting the audience out for milk and cookies--as well as the theme from Taxi and a few other comedic odds and ends, round out...  (less)

weight of it--by inviting George Jones and Hank Williams Jr. to appear in spoken-word bits which bookend the record. (The Possum also contributes a weak cameo on "4th of July.") But such shilling comes off as exactly what it is, and the listener knows to expect a song about how awful Nashville is and how modern country just ain't got no soul. Jennings does not disappoint--in fact, he's got a couple tunes like that (the Neil Young-based title track and "Solid Country Gold"), and he also obliges with an Outlaw penchant for self-mythologizing ("Busted in Baylor County," about being jailed for speeding and smoking). The younger Jennings doesn't have his father's commanding baritone, his mother's delicate balance of pathos and strength, or even th...  (less)

ever written, the soundtrack is equally sentimental--16 tracks that evoke wistful days spent staring out of windows pining for lost love. Edwin McCain delivers Diane Warren's surprisingly modest "I Could Not Ask for More," a song written specifically for the movie. Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan turn soft and spooky with their whispery "Carolina" and "I Love You," respectively. Sinéad Lohan and Beth Nielsen Chapman backlight their middle-of-the-road sensibilities with dance beats. Hootie & the Blowfish's "Only Lonely" is far closer to country music (Glen Campbell-style) than country artist Faith Hill's "Let Me Let Go." Gabriel Yared contributes the instrumental title track as well as two other pieces of overswelling movie music. Redefines the term mellow . --Rob O'Co...  (less)

roll crooner developed into the Music City equivalent of Barry White with an unsurpassed string of hot and heavy hits. With titles like "I'd Love to Lay You Down" and "Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me" and a voice that caressed like silk sheets on warm flesh, Twitty was the one Nashville star who seemed better suited for the bedroom than the barroom. Love Songs bundles 14 tracks, most from the '70s and '80s, on one dim-the-lights country collection where singer and theme are perfectly matched. --Steven Stolder  (less)

time on this 17-cut compilation disc, which, despite its title, actually includes four new songs, one rerecording, and a remix. Amid soppy country-pop chart fodder ("Me and You," "When I Close My Eyes") and second-rate ditties ("How Forever Feels," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"), Chesney hits his stride on robust country ballads like "You Had Me from Hello" and the lead single "I Lost It." On other gems--like "That's Why I'm Here," a heartfelt tribute to the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program that topped the charts a while back; "Baptism," a great duet with Randy Travis; and his fine rerecording of "Tin Man," the song that launched his career in the mid '90s--Chesney even manages to attain an ephemeral but utterly moving tran...  (less)

at 80 miles an hour, with the top down and the stereo blasting. Clapton and King may be more city than country, but this collection has the relaxed, laid-back feel that only comes from a pair of veterans doing what they do best. What they do here is cover 12 classic blues songs, many of them staples of King's repertoire, so the title of this album makes sense. Whether it's the rollicking rock & roll of the title track, or the acoustic shuffle of "Key to the Highway," or the sweet notes of "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer," a real sense of pleasure comes through on this album, the kind of pleasure one gets from jamming late at night with a good friend. --Genevieve Williams  (less)

year, which was followed by 1968's Last Time Around . While their entire recorded career encompasses a mere two years, the Stephen Stills-Neil Young-Richie Furay-led quintet produced a number of '60s rock classics. Stills chipped in "For What It's Worth" and "Bluebird"; Furay's "Kind Woman" is one of the touchstones of country-rock; and Young fired off the likes of the raucous "Mr. Soul," the gentle "I Am a Child," the ambitious "Broken Arrow," and the breathtakingly pretty "Expecting to Fly." They're all on this 12-song overview, a suitable option for anyone who isn't up to stocking up on the entire catalog. --Steven Stolder  (less)

lively little fiddle break. But unless you're a full-on Reba fan, it's pretty much downhill sledding from there as McEntire falls back on the Nashville formula for many of the originals penned for the album. While her voice is always in good form--and she suggests Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn in "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus"--there are too many predictable chord progressions and decorative shadings in songs such as "Santa Claus Is Coming Back to Town," a heartbreak Christmas song. What she needs is more tunes like the closing cut and the title track, a sparsely arranged acoustic number that avoids maudlin sentiments and faux cheer. No amount of children singing ("The Angels Sang") or pretty playing can get her out of the deep ruts that Nashville has got most of its stars ...  (less)

of listening to Loretta Lynn and the late Tammy Wynette in her younger days. With Born to Fly , her third album, Evans continues her descent from the neo-traditional high ground and her move uptown. She makes it clear she's also listened quite a bit to the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Bruce Hornsby, whose "Every Little Kiss" she ably covers here. On the exuberant title tune and on fine country-pop ballads like "I Could Not Ask for More" and the lovely "Saints and Angels," Evans proves she can just as sweetly and deftly patrol the uptown territory as she can the down-home highlands, which she revisits on the steel guitar-adorned weeper "I Learned That from You." Though not every song on Born to Fly insinuates its way into listeners' imaginati...  (less)

"Lady of the Well." But he can up the volume a little, turning out a version of his own "Take It Easy" that outdoes the Eagles and cranking up the bar-band boogie on "Redneck Friend." For the most part, though, it's late nights in the dark and candlelight, and Jackson Browne did it well. --Chris Nickson  (less)