| Greatest Hits - Jo Dee Messina | |
Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
Jo Dee Messina met Tim McGraw in the early 1990’s prior to either becoming a household name. After Tim hit it big with his 1994 album Not A Moment Too Soon, he offered to help Jo Dee get a recording contract. Upon meeting Curb Records executives, Jo Dee proclaimed, "What you need is a red head." The label agreed and signed Jo Dee to a contract.
To record her self-titled album, Jo Dee enlisted the help of Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw himself to be her producers. By 1996, Jo Dee’s CD was ready and with the release of her debut single, "Heads Carolina, Tails California," Jo Dee’s career was off to a fantastic start. After the song peaked at the runner-up spot of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart, Jo Dee released her second single, "You’re Not In Kansas Anymore." It too reached Billboard’s Top Ten, peaking at number seven on the charts.
After a two year hiatus which saw Jo Dee suffer through near bankruptcy, She returned to the charts with the Phil Vassar and Rory Michael Bourke penned "Bye-Bye" and landed her first Billboard No. 1 hit single. Jo Dee once again dipped into the Vassar songbook to release her second single and title track to her sophomore CD, "I’m Alright." With its lyrics about meeting an old friend and proclaiming that she’s doing good on the middle ground, Jo Dee reached the audiences once again with a No. 1 hit. A remake of Dottie West’s "Lesson In Leavin’" made it to the runner-up position at Billboard while "Stand Beside Me" became the third song from the CD to top the charts. "Because You Love Me" was the final single from the CD and it became Jo Dee’s seventh Top Ten hit.
In 2000, Jo Dee returned with her third album Burn. Like her previous album, Burn produced four more Top Ten hits, the No. 1 hit "That’s The Way," "Burn," "Downtime" and the song that brought her partnership with Tim McGraw full-circle, "Bring On The Rain." The song features Tim on harmony vocals.
All of these hit songs bring Jo Dee to a career milestone, a Greatest Hits CD, which features all of those songs above along with four new tracks and the video for "Bring On The Rain."
"Was That My Life" is the first song to be released from the single and while it’s theme of living to have no regrets is a tired one, the song has inventive production and Jo Dee’s vocals providing an uplifting ballad what it needs to become a big hit.
After the success with her two previous Phil Vassar songs, "Bye-Bye" and "I’m Alright," Jo Dee goes back to his catalogue for the wonderful mid-tempo slice of life song "Wishing Well." The lyrics tell the story of a couple that’s survived some harsh times to become all the better for it. For those wondering, this song was also recorded by Jessica Andrews on her Who I Am CD.
"You Belong In The Sun" has a similar theme to "Was That My Life" only that it’s more up-tempo and features a great chorus that is catchy. The lyrics sound as if they were written by parents as their child leaves home to follow their dreams, and say that no matter what happens, the child always has someone looking out for them. The lyrics could also be that of a supportive spouse.
Closing out the album is the power ballad "I Wish." It is about bowing out from a relationship gracefully. While she wishes for him to be able to follow his dreams and anything else she wishes he "still loved me." The production is pop-country all the way and there’s even a hint at Celine Dion with the bridge of the song. With a solid fiddle background, and some crying steel guitar, this track, with its country pop flavor, still is one of the most traditional styled songs Jo Dee has ever recorded.
While Jo Dee may have only had three CDs released prior to this Greatest Hits package, she certainly had enough hits to fill up such a release and the four new tracks add to her growing legacy as a country artist. This is a nice collection and a great place to introduce new fans to Jo Dee’s music. Unlike most Greatest Hits CD’s, this one features lyrics to all of the songs, a nice touch for longtime fans who remember the first two albums not containing any lyrics.
Song List:
Album cover used with permission of Curb.
Audio clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
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