Garth Brooks Album: “Garth Brooks [Bonus Track]”

This was Garth's first CD, and an outstanding debut for a man who would become one of music's most popular singer/songwriters.

He was 27 at the time, but looks like a kid on the cover photo, and he has described this CD as "innocent", which in some ways it is; there is a freshness to the music, and a sweetness in the lyrics.

The songs:

This is intelligent, finely crafted, high-quality country music, and Garth's smooth and rich vocals, and the superb musicianship of his band makes this one of the most auspicious "firsts" I've ever heard, and an essential CD in my collection. Total time 33'30.

Garth Brooks' self-titled 1989 debut is one of, if not the best release from the multi-million selling country superstar. None of the ten tracks can be mistaken for anything but country. If his pop-crossover experiment "Chris Gaines" made you sick and longing for the country Garth, just listen to this album and remember why country fans fell in love with him and his music. You probably already know the hit singles "If Tomorrow Never Comes," "The Dance" and "Much too young (to fell this damn old)," and the album's other seven songs live up to the same standards these do, especially "Not Counting You," "Alabama Clay," and "Every time that it Rains," songs that, if released as singles, would undoubetly gone straight to no. 1. If you had to choose one of Garth's releases to own, this would be the one.

Garth Brooks' self-titled debut album is a strong one. Garth's first single, the rodeo song "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old", was my favorite song by Garth until "The Dance" superseded it. "The Dance", which on the surface is a relationship song but is actually a celebration of life, was written by Garth's friend Tony Arata, who would go on to write some other great songs which Garth recorded. The love ballad "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and the bouncy honky-tonk song "Not Counting You" were the other hits from the record. "Everytime That It Rains", "I've Got A Good Thing Going", "Cowboy Bill", "Nobody Gets Off In This Town", and "I Know One"(the classic Charley Pride song) are also strong songs. Garth would get away a bit from his traditional country sound on some of his later records, but with the exception of the pop-oriented In The Life Of Chris Gaines, he never made an album that absolutely flopped. Garth has made a lot of strong albums since his debut, but his debut album, in my opinion, is a classic.

Anyone who listens to country music, or any music for that matter, has by now heard the name Garth Brooks. His albums have shattered every record in the industry-from sales to hit singles-and his name has become synonymous with everything successful in country music. In a very real sense, Garth Brooks is the standard by which all other musicians in the industry are measured.

This first CD by Garth Brooks was perfectly named. "Garth Brooks", released by Capitol Records in 1989, introduced us to a new style of country music which was, until this time, unheard of-the blending of traditional country music with a pop/rock sound. The result produced a fresh sound in the industry which many artists emulated and which the fans became completely enamored with.

"Garth Brooks" is probably the most traditional country album Garth Brooks ever released. The songs feature the steel-slide guitar and the rich sounds of the fiddle. Garth's first single from the album, "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old", is straight out country, a song about a lost lover, and life on the road as a rodeo bronc rider. Other songs along the same lines include "Not Counting You", "Everytime That It Rains", and "I Know One". Each deals with heartache and heartbreak, and reflect on the style of country music to which most people were familiar.

But this CD also contains two songs that would become some of Garth's biggest hits. The songs, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "The Dance". "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is a hauntingly beautiful reflection on the precious frailty of life and the sharing of love between two people. It reminds us that we never know when our last day will be, and suggests that we take each moment to let those we love know it, because we may lose that chance forever.

"The Dance", Garth's biggest hit and signature piece, is almost a reflection of "If Tomorrow Never Comes". This song has one of the most poignant messages of truth in it that has ever been spoken, and the words express it so clearly, I won't even attempt to paraphrase:

"And now, I'm glad I didn't know,

This song has become so embedded in the music industry that it has been used during memorial services and television events commemorating such tragedies as September 11th, The Oklahoma City Bombing, and countless funeral services for individuals throughout the country and around the world. It was probably this song, more than any other (save for "Friends In Low Places" off his second album), that catapulted Garth Brooks to superstardom.

For those of you familiar with Garth Brooks from his later albums, this CD will be a departure from the more "rockabilly" sound for which Garth became synonymous. However, this album ranks with anything he released later. It is a must-have for any collector or music enthusiast, and is worth listening to again and again.

I was lucky enough to find nearly his entire CD discography in the Salvation Army a few weeks ago for 50-cents each, and he's a welcome addition to my collection. This album was recommended to me by the counter clerk at Mirabelli's Music City in Reno at the old Park Lane Mall, and I bought the Lp (vinyl), which I sadly no longer have (wore it out), but luckily I came across the CD to replace it. There's also a lot of used copies for very little money coming available; great prices, great music. "Not Counting You" is a great song, while the balance of the album's songs tend to be slower. Frankly, I didn't peg "If Tomorrow Never Comes" as a hit single, but was pleasantly surprised when I started hearing it on the radio back in '88. A great artist out of the past who updated Country music, a living legend. It seems like a lot of artists based on the old styles I grew up on came on the scene in the late '80s, and it's obvious that Brooks follows in Haggard's boots; his voice has the same affectation that I can hear going back to Lefty Frizzell in the 1950s, much the same way that Michael Buble's style closely follows Bobby Darin's Capitol period in the early '60s. If you want to hear a living legend, the contemporary of Kenny Rogers, Earl Thomas Conley, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Lee, and T.G. Sheppard, look for this album.