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Near-Perfect Country Debut

Westley | Stuck in my head | 08/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like many Garth fans, I didn't buy GARTH BROOKS until after his second CD, NO FENCES, was a huge hit. From that time on, though, his debut CD has been my favorite. In fact, I think it's one of the best country CD's I've ever heard. This CD's two biggest hits were IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES and THE DANCE - both are superb ballads that have remained two of his most beloved songs (both of highlights of his 1998 DOUBLE LIVE CD). However, my favorite song on the CD (and perhaps the best song he's ever done) is MUCH TOO YOUNG. It's a terrific story about the rough and tumble life of a rodeo cowboy, and it reminds me a lot of George Strait's hit Amarillo By Morning. Other great up-tempo songs on this album include NOT COUNTING YOU, I'VE GOT A GOOD THING GOING, and the humorous NOBODY GETS OFF IN THIS TOWN. All of the elements that would make Garth a star are on this CD. Plus, it's his most purely country CD. Highly recommended for fans of Garth, country music, and well-written songs."

A beginning, not the end

Dino | Scotland | 01/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult to assess this album on its own merits given the enormity of Garth Brooks' career and the 100 million albums he has now sold. This CD introduced a talented and exciting new artist to country music, and although some critics have highlighted this CD as the beginning of the end of traditional country, that simply isn't true - and I'm a Merle Haggard fan. Brooks has gone on to record a variety of music under the country banner, but he is a country artist (the disastrous Chris Gaines project aside) who has successfully combined a range of musical styles to form his brand of country music. All innovators in musical history have done the same thing, but few have encountered the criticism that Brooks has met. Conversely, none have enjoyed his number of album sales! With his self-titled debut album, Brooks stuck to a mainly traditional feel, including the Jim Reeves and Charley Pride hit I Know One, Cowboy Bill and Nobody Gets Off At This Town. There were early indications of the detours into rock ballads that he would return to regularly on future albums: Everytime That It Rains is a clear predecessor to The Thunder Rolls. Also included is the classic rodeo song (another subject he would cover many times), Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old. The best two songs are among the highlights of his entire career: If Tomorrow Never Comes and The Dance are outstanding songs, and if they aren't exactly what Hank Williams would have regarded as country, that doesn't mean they're any less worthy. I had Merle Haggard's Roots Volume 1 as my album of the year for 2001; I would name this album as my best for 1989 and happily play it in the car next to Dale Watson, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings and George Jones."