RCA Country Legends

1	Some Old Side Road 3:26
2	A Day in the Life of a Fool 3:42
3	Ten Feet Away 3:22
4	I Never Go Around Mirrors (I've Got a Heartache to Hide) 4:27
5	The Birmingham Turnaround 2:52
6	Homecoming '63 3:01
7	Hard Livin' 2:52
8	Don't Close Your Eyes 4:13
9	When You Say Nothing at All 3:42
10	I'm No Stranger to the Rain 3:36
11	I Wonder Do You Think of Me 3:16
12	Lucky Dog 2:00
13	Brotherly Love 3:17
14	Pick Me Up on Your Way Down 2:48
15	Quittin' Time 2:54
16	'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose 3:29

Barnes & Noble

With a voice that blended the soulful expressiveness of bluegrass with the brio of honky-tonk, Keith Whitley ranked with country music's great vocalists. Alcoholism claimed his life in 1989, when he was only 35, but he left behind a substantial body of work, ranging from bluegrass in the traditional and progressive modes (with Ralph Stanley's band and J. D. Crowe and the New South, respectively) to classic contemporary country as a solo artist. His work in the latter field, especially, sounds as good today as it did in Whitley's lifetime, an assertion underscored by this RCA Country Legends. Most of the songs were Top 20 singles, including four chart-toppers sequenced in breathtaking succession: "Don't Close Your Eyes," the heart-tugging "When You Say Nothing at All," "I'm No Stranger to the Rain," and "I Wonder Do You Think of Me." These vibrant classics are bolstered by classy B-sides, including a swingin' take on the Harland Howard chestnut "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down"; standout album tracks, such as a soulful take of Lefty Frizzell's timeless "I Never Go Around Mirrors," complete with weeping pedal steel and bluesy piano; and two evergreen duets -- a warm recollection of familial bonds in "Brotherly Love" with Earl Thomas Conley and a beautiful vow of everlasting love, " 'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose," with Whitley's wife, Lorrie Morgan. A classicist with a modern sensibility, Keith Whitley stood for all the right things, and his music stands the test of time. David McGee

All Music Guide

This is an enjoyable sampler from one of the leaders of the new traditionalist movement, Keith Whitley. The 16 tracks stem from his mid- to late-'80s RCA material, including the hits "When You Say Nothing at All," "I'm No Stranger to the Rain," and "Ten Feet Away." Whitley's widow, Lorrie Morgan, appears on "Til a Tear Becomes a Rose," which was released posthumously following Whitley's accidental death from alcohol poisoning in 1989. Les Campbell