Essential

Keith Whitley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 18, 1996)
• Original Release Date: June 18, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002WX0
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,519 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

BEST KEITH WHITLEY COLLECTION ANYWHERE

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Keith Whitley CD, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Essential (Audio CD)

This is a must have for anyone who like the traditional sounds of country music. Not since Lefty Fizzel or George Jones has there been such a "pure" sound. This cd chronicles Keith's song library from "A Hard Act To Follow" to "I Wonder Do You Think of Me". All so included on this compact disc are three of Keith's most memorable songs "I'm No Stranger to the Rain", "When You Say Nothing at All", and "Don't Close Your Eyes". With 20 tracks on this CD you can't go wrong!!!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Essential" Says It All, March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Essential (Audio CD)

This CD has not left my player since the day I bought it...There are very few "pure" country voices in the business today, so it's hard to compare contemporary artists to Whitley. The closest in vocal style would probably be a cross between Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson, though Whitley's style is more traditional. From emotional offerings like "Living Like There's No Tomorrow," "If a broken Heart Could Kill," and "I'm Over You", kicking tunes like "If You Think I'M Crazy Now" and "Hard Livin", to the popular songs such as "Miami, My Amy", "Don't Close Your Eyes", and "When You Say Nothin' at All (a chart topper in recent years for Allison Krause)", this album has something for every country music listener. A real gem...

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as the title suggests but close, September 7, 2005

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential (Audio CD)

Keith was a traditional country singer whose inspiration came from Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. Because he grew up in eastern Kentucky, he started his career in bluegrass although he always regarded it as a way to establish his career.

Keith's first mini-album on RCA (A hard act to follow) contained just six tracks, all included here. Two singles released from the album (Turn me to love, the title track) became minor country hits. The liner notes say three tracks but the other one (I've got the heart for you) actually came from Keith's second mini-album (LA to Miami). That album contained eight tracks as originally released (it was later expanded to ten on CD) of which six or included here. Among the hits from the album was a top twenty country hit (Miami my Amy) and three top ten country hits (Ten feet away, Homecoming '63, Hard living).

Keith was still awaiting his major breakthrough but that came with this next album (Don't close your eyes), which was a full-length album but is only represented by three tracks here including a minor country hit (Would these arms be in your way) and two country number ones (the title track, When you say nothing at all) although another track from the album (I'm no stranger to the rain) is here in a re-mixed version, in which form it became a country number one hit.

Keith's follow-up album (I wonder do you think of me), released after his premature death, is represented by just three tracks - two country number ones (the title track, It ain't nothing) and a top three country hit (I'm over you). The final track on this compilation comes from a 1995 collection.

Among the omissions are Some old side road (a top twenty country hit), Till a tear becomes a rose (with Lorrie Morgan, a top twenty country hit), Brotherly love (with Earl Thomas Conley, a number two country hit) and Somebody's doing me right (a top twenty country hit). You can find the two duets on compilations by Earl and Lorrie while the two solo omissions are not essential. However, the odd thing about this album is that only seven tracks are taken from his two best and most successful albums. Thus, this compilation will be of greater interest to fans looking for hard-to-find tracks than the casual buyer even though most of the hits are here. For that reason, I recommend buying Keith's two major albums (Don't close your eyes, I wonder do you think of me) before buying this.