The Very Best of John Michael Montgomery

For the millions of fans who have made John Michael Montgomery a major country music star, and who probably already own most (if not all) of the eight albums from which this best-of is drawn, the main appeal of this album will be functional: it pulls together a disproportionate number of the power ballads for which he is justly famous, making this a heartland makeout record of considerable utility. (It also features two previously unreleased power ballads, "Cool" and "One Day Less.") Not every song here is a heart-tugging love song, but most of them are, and those are the best ones. Lyrically, this stuff is exquisitely predictable: she's strong, life goes on, she thinks he's wonderful even though he's just a regular guy, she's his best friend, they've been through some tough times and now he loves her more than ever, love can move a mountain, etc. But to complain about that would be to miss the point; mainstream country music is about meeting expectations, not confounding them, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That said, there are one or two mild surprises, such as the unusually complex and soulful "Angel in My Eyes" and the Alison Krauss/Dan Tyminski cameo on the tearjerking "Little Girl." They're not surprising enough to be a problem, though. Recommended.