Ultimate Clint Black (CD - 2003)

Compilation producer: Gretchen Brennison.

Includes liner notes by Michael Hill.

Liner Note Author: Michael Hill.

Photographer: Tim White .

A 20-track compilation that covers the entirety of Clint Black's decade-long association with RCA Records (1989-1999), THE ULTIMATE CLINT BLACK emphasizes the South Texas-based crooner's strengths while minimizing the elements that kept Black from fully achieving the crossover success of his contemporaries Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw. Black is a pure-country singer of the old school, more George Jones than George Strait. His first two singles, "A Better Man" and "Killin' Time," overcome the slickness of their arrangements through Black's rich twang of a voice and his heartfelt, self-confident delivery. As the '90s progressed, Black's production and arrangements got rootsier, in opposition to prevailing trends, and while that didn't do much for his sales figures, it does mean that the later material on this disc doesn't sound nearly as dated as the records many of the so-called "hat acts" were making at the same time. A smartly-chosen compilation with no filler, THE ULTIMATE CLINT BLACK is a handy précis of a skilled, underrated singer's best years. minimize