Greatest Hits
With a sad tenor that sounded like Mr. Haney fromGreen Acres, Tim McGraw, a freshman in country's crowded class of '92, seemed the least likely to graduate to superstardom. But eight years and 20 million albums and singles later, here he is with a greatest hits package so stuffed with songs--15 in all--that it doesn't have room for any new tunes, or even the best of all, "Everywhere." McGraw's appeal is two-fold: Aside from his unlistenable duets with wifeFaith Hilland the abysmal "Indian Outlaw" that jump-started his career, he's had excellent taste in songs. And he's the epitome of the average guy in search of extraordinary love--the loser who becomes a winner. You see it all here, in the hate-it-but-love-it "Don't Take the Girl," the adrenaline rush of "Something Like That," and the infectious "I Like It, I Love It." If this album doesn't give hope to every karaoke singer in America, nothing will.--Alanna Nash