Greatest Hits Collection, Vol. 1

1	Then They Do previously unreleased
2	(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing
3	The Rest of Mine
4	Chrome
5	I'm Tryin'
6	There's a Girl in Texas
7	Every Light in the House
8	Don't Lie
9	I Left Something Turned on at Home
10	Big Time
11	Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone
12	Help Me Understand
13	More
14	Welcome to Hell previously unreleased

Barnes & Noble

One of mainstream country's most reliable hit makers over the past six years, Trace Adkins gets a well-deserved retrospective in this 2003 disc, his first hits collection. The 13 cuts include such gems as 1997's moody, edgy rocker "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," 2002's litany of post-breakup fears and heartaches in the wrenching ballad "Help Me Understand," testosterone-fueled observations about the girl who can't help it in "Chrome," and 1997's tender testimonial to love everlasting in the moving mid-tempo ballad "The Rest of Mine." As a bonus, Adkins has cut two new songs for this collection. The touching, sharply observed ballad "Then They Do" chronicles the passing of time as seen through the eyes of parents whose children are passing milestones and leaving them with an empty nest. "Welcome to Hell," the other new track, is a roiling country blues noted for a wailing slide guitar supporting Adkins, as the Devil, delivering a rather sadistic greeting to an Islamic terrorist entering the Seventh Circle ("I don't know what you've been told / But there ain't no virgins here," he spits at one point). It's not Steve Earle's "John Walker's Blues," but it makes its point. For Adkins fans, this enhanced CD includes a live performance of "Then They Do," as well as interview footage and other special features. Overall, this package showcases some of the better mainstream country fare of recent years by a consistent, and consistently solid, performer. David McGee

All Music Guide

Released four albums and seven years into Trace Adkins' career, Greatest Hits Collection, Vol. 1 summarizes the first part of his career quite nicely. During this time, he had 13 singles on the Billboard country charts -- including the Top Ten hits "Every Light in the House," "I Left Something Turned On at Home," "The Rest of Mine," "More," "I'm Tryin'," and the number one "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" -- and this contains all but one, the minor hit "I'm Gonna Love You Anyway." The other two cuts on this 14-track collection are new, and one -- the sentimental "Then They Do," which finds Adkins watching his kids grow up -- also went to number one, making this a good collection of Adkins at his best. He may not have been one of the flashiest country singers of the '90s, but thanks to his deep baritone, his music was sturdy and reliable, as is this fine collection. Stephen Thomas Erlewine