Ultimate Ronnie Milsap (CD - 2004)

Producers: Tom Collins, Jack D. Johnson, Ronnie Milsap, Rob Galbraith.

Compilation producers: Rob Santos, Gretchen Brennison.

Recorded between 1974 & 1989. Includes liner notes by Rich Kienzle.

Personnel: The Sheldon Kurland Strings, Nashville String Machine (strings); The Nashville Horn Works (horns); The Holladay Singers, Lea Sisters, The Jordanaires, The Nashville Edition (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Rich Kienzle.

Recording information: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, TN.

Photographers: Scott Greenwalt; Allyson Reeves; Randee Saint Nicholas; Slick Lawson.

Arranger: D. Bergen White.

There has been no shortage of Ronnie Milsap compilations over the years, and there have been two excellent collections released since the turn of the century alone, so it's easy to ask if RCA's 2004 Ultimate Ronnie Milsap is necessary or not. Since it's part of BMG's Ultimate answer to Sony Legacy's Essential series, it's a "yes" from a label's perspective, but it's also a "yes" for fans, because it's the best hits-oriented single-disc Milsap compilation yet assembled. The similarly titled Essential Ronnie Milsap by and large overlooked the '70s and the double-disc 40 #1 Hits is too lengthy for some listeners, while RCA Country Legends favors more idiosyncratic choices than actual hits. So, Ultimate Ronnie Milsap steps into the void and offers a generous selection of 22 tracks, nearly all of them his biggest hits from the '70s and '80s, opening with "Pure Love" and ending with "A Woman in Love." While RCA Country Legends has a purer country bent and illustrates his range better, this does provide all of Milsap's best-known material on one disc, which may make it a preferable introduction or summary for some audiences. In any case, it's yet another first-rate Ronnie Milsap collection issued in the 2000s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize