Love Songs (CD - 2008)

A compilation released by Trisha Yearwood's former label shortly after her first indie album (2007's HEAVEN HEARTACHE AND THE POWER OF LOVE), LOVE SONGS is a pleasant compilation of songs from the country singer's lengthy tenure with MCA Nashville. Consisting entirely of previously released material, LOVE SONGS is possibly superfluous for fans who have all of Yearwood's MCA albums. (Although the Jane Russell-style 1950s glamour girl pose on the front cover might be an inducement for many!) On its own merits, however, LOVE SONGS is a strong case for Trisha Yearwood as one of the most subtle female singers in Nashville, featuring songs ranging from flirty two-steps like "What I Like About You" (not the Romantics power pop hit of the same name) to soft rock-influenced power ballads.

Universal does what it seems to do best in the 21st century: reissue their catalog in as many different ways as they can come up with rather than digging deep for new artists. There are a couple of different Trisha Yearwood greatest-hits collections, the last one being issued in 2007 just as the year petered out and on the heels -- the same day, actually -- as her awesome, groundbreaking studio offering Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, produced by Garth Fundis. Love Songs is compiled from the MCA Nashville catalog between 1991 and 2005, beginning with the Kevin Welch-penned "That's What I Like About You" and moving through hits like "Down on My Knees" from Hearts in Armor in 1992; "Maybe It's Love" (by Annie Roboff and Beth Nielsen Chapman) from Everybody Knows in 1996; and Diane Warren's "I Still Love You More," which appeared on Where Your Road Leads in 1998. It closes with two tracks from the wonderful and underappreciated Jasper County album (also produced by Fundis), "Baby Don't You Let Go" and "Sweet Love." The music is terrific and these cuts were chosen well, but the question remains: does anybody really need this set? ~ Thom Jurek minimize