Scarecrow (Cassette - 2001)

Personnel: Garth Brooks (vocals); Trisha Yearwood, George Jones (vocals); Mark Casstevens, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Gordon Kennedy (acoustic guitar); Chris Leuzinger (electric guitar); Bruce Bouton (steel & slide guitars); Rob Hajacos, Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle); Bela Fleck (banjo); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Terry McMillan (harmonica); Joey Miskulin (accordion); Bobby Wood (keyboards); Mike Chapman, Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass); Sam Bacco (drums, percussion); Milton Sledge (drums); Sam Bush.

Recorded at Jack's Tracks Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.

"Squeeze Me In" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.

Personnel: Garth Brooks (background vocals); Gordon Kennedy, Mark Casstevens, Pat Flynn, Wayne Kirkpatrick (acoustic guitar); Chris Leuzinger (electric guitar); Bruce Bouton (slide guitar, steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Béla Fleck (banjo); Sam Bush (mandolin); Rob Hajacos, Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle); Elizabeth Stewart, Connie Ellisor, Karen Winkelmann, Jack Jezioro, John Catchings, Kristin Wilkinson, Jim Grosjean, Robert Mason , Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, David Davidson , Lee Larrison, Alan Umstead, David Angell, Catherine Umstead, Cate Myer, Gary VanOsdale, Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen (strings); Terry McMillan (harmonica); Joey Miskulin (accordion); Bobby Wood (keyboards); Sam Bacco (drums, tambourine, percussion); Milton Sledge (drums, percussion); Trisha Yearwood (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Mark Miller .

Recording information: Jack's Tracks Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Sound Station, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Beverly Parker.

Garth Brooks had a real hard time in the latter half of the '90s, running through a couple of muddled near-crossover records before diving off the deep end with the extraordinary In the Life of Chris Gaines. Following that historic bellyflop -- few albums in history have been as misconceived and as widely rejected -- Brooks took some time off, retreating from the spotlight (which was particularly helpful when he divorced his high-school sweetheart) and laying low until late fall of 2001, when he returned with Scarecrow. The extended time off turned out to be a blessing, since it seemed to help him focus for Scarecrow, his strongest album since he delved into unabashed crossover with Fresh Horses. Sure, there's still a healthy dose of pop here -- he does cover America's fine Californian folk-rock "Don't Cross the River," for instance -- but this is a clean, spare record that never overplays its hand and, in turn, it showcases Brooks' talent for synthesizing popular music styles particularly well. Really, there are no new twists here, but that's part of what's good about the record: He's returned to his strengths, whether it's boozy barroom ravers like the deliriously good George Jones duet "Beer Run" or the preponderance of dramatic, portentous ballads like "The Storm." On paper, this may sound like a retreat, but it plays like a revitalization since it plays to Brooks' strengths -- a country boy raised on Eagles who likes country when it rocks, but pumps up power ballads with fiddles and twang. This is no surprise, of course, but it's refreshing to hear him in such a simple, unadorned context, performing good songs with conviction -- performances good enough to prove that there's more soul here than on most alt-country records. The friskier songs, from "Beer Run" to "Big Money," fare better than the ballads, but those ballads still work, and overall Scarecrow proves that mainstream modern country doesn't have a better singer than Brooks at his best. And it's good to have him at his best again. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

After his head-scratching masquerade as a fictional rocker and a heavily publicized early retirement from show business, most folks thought that the Garth Brooks era in country music was over. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Nashville, here comes SCARECROW, a confident return to form for Brooks. Having apparently gotten that nasty rock thing out of his system, he returns to the wide-screen, Springsteen-with-spurs brand of pop-country that made him a mega-star in the '90s. The first album of new Garth Brooks tunes of the 21st century pretty much picks up where records like ROPIN' THE WIND and NO FENCES left off. There's even a light-hearted duet with honky-tonk legend George Jones on "Beer Run" for any who were doubtful about Brooks's return to country music. The rest of SCARECROW is made up of power ballads, high-energy roadhouse romps (most notably the Trisha Yearwood duet on "Squeeze Me In," and the singular pop/rock/country paradigm upon which Nashville based the marketing plans of a thousand lesser imitators. minimize