These new recordings of mostly recent Gill compositions are the culmination of a project aimed at recording four distinct albums: rock, romance, vintage honky-tonk, and acoustic. The Rockin' Record, virtually perfect from start to finish, begins with "Workin' on a Big Chill," its swampy groove straight out of John Fogerty and a showcase for Gill's guitar virtuosity--a groove he resumes on "Cowboy Up," with cameo harmonies from Gretchen Wilson. "Sweet Thing" and a duet with Rodney Crowell on "Nothin' for a Broken Heart" pulsate with Chuck Berry intensity that contrasts with the solid, '60s Memphis groove of "Bet It All on You." The Reason Why showcases Gill's legendary ease with ballads, several of them enhanced by creative string arrangements by David Campbell (Beck's father), including "What You Don't Say" with LeAnn Rimes and "The Memory of You" with Trisha Yearwood. The stunning "Faint of Heart," a remarkably sultry jazz duet with Diana Krall, could become a standard. Some Things Never Get Old revisits classic fiddle-steel honky-tonk, music Gill has long reverenced and referenced. "This New Heartache" is straight out of Ray Price. Gill and Patty Loveless tear up "Out of My Mind" and Allison Krauss and Dan Tyminski join in for the waltz "I Can't Let Go." "Don't Pretend with Me" honors Ernest Tubb's honky-tonk primitivism. Little Brother, all-acoustic and often bluegrass-flavored, shines from beginning to end. Along with "Molly Brown," a stark cautionary about racial violence, Gill sings both "Cold Gray Light of Dawn" and "Give Me the Highway" with the Del McCoury Band. He and Guy Clark close it out with "Almost Home." Despite outstanding past efforts, Gill--one of the top hitmakers of the '90s--hasn't had a Top Ten single since 2000. No matter. His talents and the heart he puts into his writing, singing, and picking remain at their peak. This stellar collection proves it--four times over. --Rich Kienzle
