The Very Best of John Michael Montgomery  (Audio CD) 
by John Michael Montgomery

This is nothing more than the "Greatest Hits" cd with a few different songs. In fact, 11 of the 20 songs on this cd were also on that cd despite the fact that he has cut four studio cds since then. I do see that "Long As I Live" is included on this collection but it should have been on the first one to begin with.

I know that JMM made his career out of singing those great country love songs however, he does have some great up-tempo songs as well. I noticed that many are missing not only from this cd but from "Greatest Hits" as well. Where is "Just Like A Rodeo", "A Few Cents Short", and "Love Working On You"? How about "Hello L-0-V-E", "That's What I Like About You" and "Four-Wheel Drive"?

Of course, I also notice several great love songs are missing as well that could have been on this cd. Songs such as "I Couldn't Dream", "Even Then", "Sinkin' In", and "Pictures". I think those songs as well as the ones I mentioned above would have been better for this cd.

As for the two new songs, I can take it or leave it with the walz-tempo tale song "Cool", it did not knock me over. However, "One Day Less" is yet another very strong JMM love song along the lines of "I Swear" and "I Love The Way You Love Me". I could see this one being played at weddings.

In summary, This is a great cd to pick up if you do not already own any of his prior cds. Otherwise, I would not bother with it.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

More Tracks But Less Satisfying Than His Prior Greatest Hits  Sep 11, 2003
From his debut hit "Life's A Dance" in late 1992 through the rest of the '90s, John Michael Montgomery (with his easy going baritone) was one of country music's most reliable hitmakers. Over the past four years, however, he's had but one top ten hit, the chart topping heart tugger "The Little Girl." With his recent singles struggling, a hits collection was the logical choice for Montgomery's next release. A sequel to 1997's GREATEST HITS made the most sense, as Montgomery has ten top 20 hits not included on that first set. Instead, Warner Brothers went with this career encompassing VERY BEST OF that contains 11 of the 14 recordings already found on the strong selling GREATEST HITS.

Among the hits not included on either collection are the engaging "Ain't Got Nothin' On Us," "Love Working On You," and "Hello L.O.V.E." All are uptempo romps that would have contributed nicely to the ballad-heavy VERY BEST OF. The sequencing on VERY BEST OF distorts the musical nonbalance even more, with three fast tunes leading off, followed by a slew of slow stuff. The collection concludes with two new ballads: the paternal reflection "Cool" and the pledge of devotion "One Day Less." While pleasant, neither track seems likely to reverse Montgomery's recent chart struggles. Ultimately, while it contains more tracks and covers a longer period of Montgomery's recording career, this VERY BEST OF is not as enjoyable to listen to as his earlier GREATEST HITS.