Classics - Patty Loveless

As expected, Patty Loveless's second hits compilation, covering her first five years on Epic Records, was even better than her earlier Greatest Hits on MCA, showing off a more confident singer who rocked out convincingly and was comfortable on weepy ballads, even if the latter tended not to be the best compositions she got to sing. Typical of country hits collections, this one was on the skimpy side, containing only 12 tracks, and typical of nearly all contemporary hits collections, it failed to contain all the hits while tossing in a few new songs. The most serious omission was "Halfway Down." But Loveless's biggest hits of the era, "You Can Feel Bad," "Lonely Too Long," and "Blame It On Your Heart" were included, and there was enough here to justify all those Female Vocalist of the Year awards she won during the half-decade. At the same time, the selection reflected the recent downturn in the singer's fortunes, containing nothing from the commercially disappointing 1997 album Long Stretch of Lonesome. As so many hits collections do, this one seemed a summing up that confirmed the artist's past triumphs, while she herself stood at a crossroads. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide