Not all of
Willie Nelson's hits are on
16 Biggest Hits -- after all, it only features recordings he made for Columbia and skips over any hit duet he's had -- but it never was intended to be a definitive compilation. Instead, it's a worthy summation of his biggest hits of the late '70s and '80s, from 1975's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" to 1989's "Nothing I Can Do About It Now." In between those two songs, plenty of classics -- "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time," "Georgia on My Mind," "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys," "Always on My Mind," "City of New Orleans" -- are hauled out, making for an excellent listen that's ideal for novices and casual fans. Of course,
Nelson's catalog is so rich it's impossible to pare it down to 16 songs, but this is certainly a terrific sampler on its own terms. [An Australian edition appeared in 2007.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine