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21 Number Ones
21 Number Ones

21 Number Ones in Bloomington, MN

Current price: $16.99
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Size: CD

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Given
Kenny Rogers
' long and successful recording career, it would seem that a collection like
21 Number Ones
would be a useful to way to collect all of his biggest and best hits. That's not necessarily the case. First of all, this 2006 compilation has nothing from
the First Edition
, with whom he had his earliest hits, including
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)"
and
"Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town."
Then, because of the nature of number one singles -- once an artist has had one number one single, it's easier to rack up subsequent singles, particularly on a genre-specific chart like
Country
, which is where nearly all of these 21 tracks charted -- his more interesting music from the late '70s and early '80s is left behind in favor of the slick
ballads
of the second half of the '80s. These are songs that did hit number one on the charts, but they're a little samey and not is interesting as the singles he made on his way up the charts. That said, with the exception of the previously mentioned
First Edition
singles -- and some other good '70s sides like
"Something's Burning,"
"Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got?),"
"Love Lifted Me"
-- all the big hits are here in their original hit versions, including the bonus track of the
Kim Carnes
duet
"Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer,"
which may not have hit number one, but made the Top Five on the
Pop
,
, and
Adult Contemporary
charts. While it's hard not to miss those
songs, this is the best single-disc collection of
Rogers
' biggest songs -- it's half the length of 2004's
42 Ultimate Hits
, after all, so many listeners may find this more manageable -- which makes it both a useful overview and introduction. Plus, it has terrific song-by-song liner notes by
himself, offering such insights as: "Around the world, I am known as the Gambler. When I go to Korea or Japan, for example, people see me and go, 'Ah, the Gambler.' The song really is a wonderful piece of philosophy, not just about playing cards or gambling, but about life in general"; "
Sheena Easton
had some
Streisand
-like qualities, this wonderfully lyrical singer who sang with a little more everyday passion than
"; and "
and I, we sound like we're hemorrhaging half the time when we're singing in full voice." For fans who already have this music elsewhere, these notes very well may make
a worthwhile purchase. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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