KMA1019 Kenny Rogers – 20 Greatest Hits

I got this out of a bargain bin for so cheap, it was basically criminal. It’s in perfect shape (looked unplayed), and the track list is fantastic.

I should explain. I grew up in an area where they like both kinds of music – country AND western. Lots of Hank Sr., Patsy, Johnny, Willie, Loretta, you name it. I absorbed a lot of country music as a kid, and I think it did me a lot of favours – the good stuff, anyway, is intelligently done and tells stories worth hearing. But all that exposure also explains my avoidance of it in my teens and 20s. But I’ve come back around to it, as I age, and now I’m as likely to play Kenny as I am anything else in my collection.

So I was banging around in the basement yesterday, cleaning up the mess that never seems to dissipate. But I threw this vinyl on and was transported back in time. It was highly pleasurable. I enjoy Kenny’s voice, and his hit songs are those classics you can’t help but enjoy.

There are songs missing, of course. As a hits set, it’s pretty damn good, but I think the 42 Ultimate Hits set would be more my speed. Still, I can’t knock 20 songs for less than you’d pay for a coffee.

Great stuff.