Rascal Flatts: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Remastered)

Since Rascal Flatts are a hit juggernaut, these compiled chartbusters from their first four albums are an incredibly gratifying listen. Singles like "Take Me There" and "Me and My Gang" are oddly absent but the chronological sequence of songs flows like a conceptualized long-player, and with the digital remastering, Rascal Flatts' superhuman vocal blending totally pops and grabs you. "Prayin' for Daylight" opens with the soaring acapella intro that first acquainted the world with their three part harmonies. And those voices climb even higher on the choruses to "I Melt," a song so romantic that you have to wonder just how many country-loving couples have used it as their first wedding dance. The endearing "Mayberry" slightly picks up the pace to pine for the kind of small town living made famous on The Andy Griffith Show. The most elegant song here may be "Skin (Sarabeth)," a slow number with an arresting narrative about one woman's fight with cancer. Their playful take on Tom Cochrane's "Life Is a Highway" (think Pixar's Cars) is the only true rocker here, but it serves as a welcome chaser to all the sensitive songs that play before it.