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Collin Raye - Selected Hits

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Collin Raye - Selected Hits

Collin Raye - Selected Hits

StarPointe Records
Bottom Line:

Selected Hits is a six-song collection with four classic Collin Raye hits and two new songs. When it comes to the hits, they were all performed live in Salt Lake City and the newer tunes were produced by Alabama's Teddy Gentry and Michael Curtis.

Collin Raye's Selected Hits is the beginning of a new album concept - releasing a six song collection for under six dollars. I think this new idea is very innovative and gives fans a chance to get some of an artist's major hits and a couple new songs along the way. I also like the fact there is a personal message from Collin at the end of the album, because you can hear what he thinks about the songs.

"A Soldier's Prayer" is a fantastic song written by Janine Bilyeu and Charlie Chadwick. Not only does this song have the potential to make friends and family members of soldiers feel at ease, it can give comfort to soldiers overseas fighting the war. Keep the faith and in the trouble times "Speak to the Father / Say What's On Your Mind / It just takes a moment if you'll take the time."

A message of hope and faith comes across in "Quitters." Some of you may already be familiar with the song from George Canyon's Somebody Wrote Love album (George co-wrote the song with Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley). People only see a boy who is confined to a wheelchair and all they think about is how he won't be able to live his life to the fullest. Even the doctors think he'll never walk again but to that he just smiles and says he'll prove them wrong. "He believes one day he'll stand up and walk away from that chair" because you never know what can be accomplished with enough willpower.

One of the first Collin Raye songs I can remember hearing (back when I was getting into Country Music) is "That's My Story," which was popular in 1994 and went to No. 6 on Billboard. I've always liked it and if I had to pick a favorite faster song from Collin it would probably be this one. Since this version was recorded live, the audience interaction is fun to hear. Also from the year 1994 is "Little Rock," which made it all the way to Billboard's No. 2 position. It also happens to be one of my favorite slower singles from Collin. Songs like these sure make me miss country music from the early nineties.

In 1996's "I Think About You," there is a fine example of how Collin Raye can tackle songs with a heavy subject matter like abuse. What I prefer in a song like this, with some sort of message of awareness, is for it not to be preachy and thankfully that's not the case here. Well-written songs that make you think without being too obvious deserve to make it to No. 3 like this song did.

Instead of moving up to a more recent year, the last track dates all the way back to 1991. "Love, Me" tugs at the heartstrings and not surprisingly held the No. 1 position on Billboard charts. Skip Ewing and Max T. Barnes wrote the song about a young boy who read beautiful letters written by his grandparents to one another when they were only kids. Years later the lines "If you get there before I do / Don't give up on me / I'll meet you when my chores are through / I don't know how long I'll be" held deeper meaning when grandma passed away.

When you've had the chance to listen to these wonderful songs, there is a seventh track at the end where Collin Raye talks about the album and gives some background information for each track. If you get the album and don't seem too interested in hearing his thoughts, I suggest you listen. I feel it's an important part of the collection and was put there for a reason.

Track List:

  1. Soldier's Prayer
  2. Quitters
  3. That's My Story (And I'm Sticking To It)
  4. Little Rock
  5. I Think About You
  6. Love Me
  7. Personal Message From Collin

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