Crystal Gayle

Capitol's 2007 edition of Crystal Gayle's greatest hits is the most thorough single-disc retrospective spotlighting ten years of the vocalist's career. Expanding both EMI's 1997 Classic Crystal and Rhino's 2002 Best of Crystal Gayle, this set effectively captures her full range of Top Ten country-pop classics initially released on United Artists, Elektra, Warner, and Columbia in the '70s and '80s. With the exception of a song here and there, the track listing sticks close to chronological order starting in 1978 with a song her older sister Loretta Lynn wrote, "I've Cried (The Blues Right Out of My Eyes)," and ending with the 1986 cover version of Johnnie Ray's "Cry." The only complaint about this set is that five of her number one hits were excluded: "Our Love Is on the Faultline," "Baby, What About You," "Turning Away," "Straight to the Heart," and her duet with Gary Morris, "Making Up for Lost Time." Still, this is a well-rounded retrospective of Crystal Gayle's beautiful refined voice and timeless country-pop material. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide