Glen Campbell - Essential [EMI]

This British reissue of a 1987 Glen Campbell compilation would be a welcome addition to anybody's car CD library, being chock-full of just the hits, and sequenced in an innovative order that lends itself to movement. All the big ones are here -- "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," "Gentle on My Mind," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife," "Where's the Playground Susie," "Rhinestone Cowboy," and his fabled readings of "Both Sides Now," "Reason to Believe," "It's Only Make Believe," and "Try a Little Kindness." Sure, Campbell is a smoking guitar picker, but as a singer he is devastating. Check his "Both Sides Now," with its conviction and bewilderment. And the truth of the matter is that you cannot possibly hear "Gentle on My Mind" too many times. Yet even these songs don't tell the whole Campbell story; it's in the songs that were marginally recognized, such as "Honey Come Back," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and "One Last Time" (as a precursor to "The Last Thing on My Mind"), that the depth and texture of Campbell's interpretive gift become clear. He is the everyman who becomes the storyteller through the song's verses, revealing in the simple language of a pop song just how universal the appeal of music can be, and how in every refrain we can find our own reflections, together and separately. In his music, folk, country, pop, and soft rock all melt into one soft rainbow of affirmation. There are more extensive collections out there, but none that present his artistry in such a convincing and consistent way. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide