Clint Black: 16 Biggest Hits

Like the many other 16 Biggest Hits compilations released by Legacy, Clint Black's entry in the budget-line series is an inexpensive and even-handed collection of his bigger hits, sequenced chronologically. The time range featured here spans from Black's blockbuster debut album, Killin' Time (1989), to his final release for RCA, D'lectrified (1999). A pair of Greatest Hits volumes already covered this time span, granted, and those volumes indeed served their purpose well, but it's nice to have a cheap, single-disc option like 16 Biggest Hits. There's one potential problem with this particular compilation, however, and it's the even-handed approach: while it's nice to have some of Black's mid- to late-'90s hits featured, his late-'80s and early-'90s recordings are generally considered to be superior, with his first three albums in particular standing head and shoulders above his later releases. Those first three albums — Killin' Time, Put Yourself in My Shoes (1990), and The Hard Way (1992) — are covered by only the first seven songs here on 16 Biggest Hits, and it's hard not to wish there were more inclusions from those albums. After all, Killin' Time alone spawned five Top Three hits. This potential grievance aside, the even-handedness of 16 Biggest Hits at least paints an accurate picture of how Black's music lost some of its edge over the years as his star steadily faded, even if he continued to score number one hits like "Summer's Comin'," "Like the Rain," "Nothin' but the Taillights," "The Shoes You're Wearing," and "When I Said I Do" — all of which are included here.