Totally Country, Vol. 4

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Clay Walker; Clint Black; Bobby Braddock; Dann Huff; Frank Rogers; Gary Allan; George Strait; Tony Brown; James Stroud; Jimmy Ritchey; Joe Scaife; John Michael Montgomery; John Porter; John Rich; Keith Stegall; Kenny Chesney; Mark Wright; Norro Wilson; Paul Worley; Sara Evans; Toby Keith; Big Kenny; Blake Chancey; Brent Rowan; Buddy Cannon; Byron Gallimore; John Johnson (Compilation); John "Woog" Johnson (Compilation)
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: The Totally Country series, like its pop-oriented NOW counterpart, rises and falls on whether the time it chronicles was any good for hit singles. Sometimes, there's only a handful of engaging tunes, other times well over half of the featured tracks are first-rate. Totally Country, Vol. 4 fits into the latter category, filled with songs that are terribly entertaining long after they've been played to death on the radio. While some of these songs are merely enjoyable, some qualify as instant classics. In particular, there's Toby Keith's warm, funny honky tonk anthem "I Love This Bar," Gretchen Wilson's kicking "Redneck Woman," Big & Rich's gonzo "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)," and a pair of beach-ready tunes in Kenny Chesney's "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" and Blake Shelton's "Some Beach." These are songs that define what modern country is, and when combined with first-rate entries from Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, John Michael Montgomery, George Strait, and Montgomery Gentry -- and not to mention solid tunes from Clay Walker, Sara Evans, los Lonely Boys, and Buddy Jewell -- this is easily the best Totally Country yet. If you want to know what mainstream country sounded like in the middle of the 2000s, turn here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine The fourth volume of the TOTALLY COUNTRY series collects more hits by the genre's most accessible artists. Alan Jackson and George Strait are the veterans of this bunch, showing the younger performers how it's done with the confidently laid-back tunes "That'd Be Alright" and "Desperately," respectively. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gretchen Wilson kicks up a ruckus with her hit "Redneck Woman," and Big & Rich rock out on the irreverent "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)." Kenny Chesney makes like a countrified Jimmy Buffett on "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," which glides along on pedal-steel guitar lines and a hint of tropical rhythms. Of course, no country compilation would be complete without a few sad songs, and TOTALLY COUNTRY VOL. 4 is no exception--John Michael Montgomery's "Letters from Home" tells the tale of a homesick soldier abroad, and Lonestar's power-ballad "Let's Be Us Again" pleads with an estranged lover. Showcasing 17 songs by just as many hit-makers, TOTALLY COUNTRY VOL. 4 is a sure bet for contemporary country fans.

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