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Bolstered by four new songs, Clint Black's Greatest Hits II is an outstanding 16-song overview of his recent past that tips Black's hand for the future. The first of the new cuts, a duet between Clint and wife Lisa Hartman Black on "Easy for Me to Say," is destined for the upper reaches of the country charts. With a lush orchestra supporting Clint’s acoustic guitar intro, the lovebirds swear undying devotion to each other in a tuneful, love-me-like-there’s-no-tomorrow valentine. Even with big productions, the Blacks’ duets have an earthy feel that eludes most contemporary duos -- witness "When I Said I Do," from 1999’s fabD'electrified, included here. "Little Pearl and Lily’s Lullaby," two songs melded into one track, kicks off with the cooing of the Blacks' new baby, followed by Clint’s warm, expressive vocal and a tender, string-laden lullaby, all of it beautifully realized, right to the note-perfect music box chimes closing it out. Not that the old boy’s gone soft --. another new cut, "Money or Love," is a high-octane tour de force of muscular playing and singing. Otherwise the 12 previously issued tracks limn Black’s career from his 1989 breakthrough album, Killin' Time ("Walkin’ Away," "Nothin’s News") to the aforementioned D'electrified (also represented by the duet with Steve Wariner on "Been There"). From 1997’s Nothin' but the Taillights, Martina McBride joins in for a bluesy duet on the tearjerker "Still Holding On." And as a surprise album closer, Clint reworks his megahit "Put Yourself in My Shoes," the title cut from his 1990 triple-platinum sophomore effort, into a Ray Charles-style big-band number, complete with a swinging horn section, a muted trumpet blowing atmospheric background support, and a pungent guitar solo out of the B. B. King songbook. It’s a big ending, entirely appropriate to a powerhouse collection. David McGee, Barnes & Noble