Billy Dean Album: “The Very Best of Billy Dean”

Description :

Personnel: Billy Dean. <p>Recording information: 1990 - 1998. <p>The fact that Billy Dean's first big break was as a winner on Ed McMahon's STAR SEARCH television talent show might cause one to assume that he is more style than substance. Despite Dean's movie-star good looks and frequent acting gigs, however, nothing could be further from the truth. A smooth-but-strong crooner with a clear and unadorned vocal style, Dean is one of those vocalists who could probably put real emotion into singing the phonebook, as the saying goes. THE VERY BEST OF BILLY DEAN includes all 10 tracks from his 1994 compilation GREATEST HITS and adds seven other much-loved recordings from his eight-year Capitol Records tenure. Highlights include the sensitive, Grammy-nominated ballad "Somewhere in My Broken Heart," which recalls the gentle romanticism of Ronnie Milsap, and the David Gates-produced "Real Man," a string-laden, piano-driven story-song that explores a complex father/son relationship. Also included is Dean's surprisingly faithful remake of Dave Mason's 1977 soulful rock hit "We Just Disagree."

Lanky Billy Dean's 1990-98 Capitol/Liberty Records tenure had been previously anthologized with three skimpy ten-track sets (Greatest Hits, Love Songs, Certified Hits), all of which overlapped greatly and left off key hits. Fortunately, revived interest in Dean's music - thanks mainly to his current top ten Curb Records' hit "Let Them Be Little" - has prompted Capitol to finally assemble a decent retrospective, the aptly titled The Very Best Of Billy Dean.

This 17-track set includes all of Dean's top 40 country hits as well as his admirable rendition of "Yesterday" from the out of print 1995 cd Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles. It reminds how effective Dean's clear, folky baritone is at conveying sincerity, particularly on simple, matter of fact ballads like "Somewhere In My Broken Heart," "You Don't Count The Cost," and "Only The Wind." There are also plenty of uptempo gems to be found here, such as the nostalgic "Billy The Kid," the sassy "That Girl's Been Spying On Me," and a cover of Dave Mason's "We Just Disagree." But slow and poignant is what Dean does best, and in fact, better than most in modern country music.

When I played music during the 90's half or more of the songs on this album were on my songlist. I literally love Billy's music. I play acoustic fingerstyle and he writes and plays these songs flawlessly. "Somewhere In My Broken Heart" and "Billy the Kid" will always be two of my very favorite songs. Every song on this album is well produced and his cover of Dave Mason's "We Just Disagree" is priceless. A great album from beginning to end.