The key to Tim McGraw's success is being able to select songs that the public likes - no make that LOVES. Sometimes its an irresistible beat that easily overrides an inane lyric like on "I Like It, I Love It" and "Down On The Farm." In other instances McGraw effectively takes on the role of everyday Joe that the public can identify with as on "Where The Green Grass Grows" and "Something Like That." Most of the time he aims for the heart, with "Don't Take The Girl," "Just To See You Smile," and "My Best Friend" among the tunes that press the right emotional buttons.

This Greatest Hits contains a whopping 15 recordings. So prolific is McGraw's hitmaking over the past seven years that there is eight more top ten charters that didn't even get included. Unfortunately, they include two of his best, most heartfelt recordings: "Everywhere" and "One Of These Days" (look for them on the EVERYWHERE CD).

There is no new material to entice the longtime McGraw listener. It's a great set though for the casual country fan who wants to capture on one CD some of the most popular recordings in recent country music.

Tim McGraws Greatest Hits is one of the best country cds there is. His songs are easy to identify with and apply to your own life. They include songs about love, life, and friendships. The songs include both fast and slow beats that will make you sing either way. His music is easy to understand and sing along with. You can listen to his music in any mood you are in. His music can reach more than just country fans. My favorite song on here is "My Best Friend" a song about two people who are more than lovers but also best friends and how their could never be another person to make you feel that way. "My Best Friend" is a slow song but "Where the Green Grass Grows" is an upbeat song. If you like variety and country music this cd is for you. If you like artists such as Kenny Chesney or Keith Urban you would definently like Tim McGraw.

Don't get me wrong, Tim McGraw is one of my favorite artists of all times. I think he's one of the true country artists left AND he knows how to pick the songs, but I mean, come on Tim, this is supposed to your "GREATEST Hits." We the inclusion of tunes like "Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It" and "Let's Make Love," which technically isn't really Tim's song, and the baffling non-existence of his true greatest hits like "Not A Moment Too Soon," "Everywhere," and "Can't Be Really Gone," this album just doesn't live up to my definition of "Greatest Hits." Of course, since I am a huge Tim McGraw fan, I can't just bash the album because I did buy it. He does include some of his wonderful ballads like "Don't Take the Girl" and the #1 song of 1997, "It's Your Love." He also knows how to make a person tap his or feet with awesome hits such as his career booster "Indian Outlaw" and other uptempo songs such as "Down On the Farm" and "I Like It, I Love It." Tim's definitly gonna be around for a while, but I'm hoping "Greatest Hits Volume 2" lives up to its name.

I'm a hard core Tim McGraw fan, but know what it's like to like a few songs from one artist, and really not know any of their other songs. If you're just getting into Tim and you want to buy an album, this is the one to start with. It contains all of Tim's Super smash hits and is really a fun collection of songs. Even if you don't recognize the titles to some of the songs, when you listen to them, you'll most likely be saying to yourself, "Oh yeah, I know this song...I didn't know it was Tim."

If you like this album, then I'd buy more of his albums--maybe starting with "Place in the Sun" or "Everywhere"--both contain several of the songs on his greatest hits album including:

Everywhere: "Just to see you smile", "Where the green grass grows", "It's your love", "For a little while";

Place in the Sun: "My Next Thirty Years", "Please Remember Me", "My Best Friend", and my all-time favorite Tim song "Something Like that".

If I could give this album more than 5 stars, I would. One of contemporary country's FINEST Greatest hits collections.

This compilation contains most of the hits that established Tim's reputation as a contemporary country hit-maker. Beginning as a traditional country singer, his debut album attracted little interest and he gradually changed his style with each of his next four albums sounding less country than the one before. Those four albums are the source of the hits featured here.

Tim's main strength lies in his unerring ability to select exactly the right songs to appeal to the public and which also suit his voice. He made his major breakthrough with the controversial novelty song Indian outlaw, but none of his other hits here contain controversial lyrics. What you will find are a couple of duets with his wife (It's your love, Let's make love), some up-tempo songs (most notably I like it I love it) and a lot of ballads, among my favorites being Don't take the girl, Just to see you smile, My best friend and the amusing My next thirty years.

While some country fans objected to Tim's move away from traditional country music, album sales and singles chart placings justify Tim's decision. This compilation is a reminder that Tim was one of the most successful country singers of the nineties. He didn't stop there, as his inevitable second volume of hits will eventually confirm.