Some of the outstanding songs on here are "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (a duet with Sting), "Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine On You," "Who's That Man," "Dream Walkin'" and "We Were In Love." Of course, there are some fun songs like, "You Ain't Much Fun" and "Big Ol' Truck." "Getcha Some," one of the previously unreleased songs, is very good!

This is a must-have album for a Toby Keith fan or for somebody who enjoys excellent country music!


The early years   October 26, 2004
Peter Durward Harris (Leicester England)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

In the first part of his career, Toby established himself as a successful country singer and songwriter. His songs were all about relationships. There were no politics in his music back then - that came later.

This compilation is made up of twelve country hits, including nine number ones, from four of Toby Keith's first five albums (the Christmas album is un-represented) plus two then-new tracks recorded for the album. These two extra tracks are the first two tracks here and were presumably released to country radio stations in the hope that they would become hits for Toby. Good as they are, these two songs merely serve as a warm-up for the twelve that follow.

Among those twelve there are some truly magnificent songs including Should've been a cowboy.(the most famous song from this part of his career), Wish I didn't know now (about finding out something unpleasant), Who's that man (about an ex-wife being married to somebody else), You ain't much fun (about his partner making him work hard at home), A little less talk and a lot more action, Does that blue moon ever shine on you, I'm so happy I can' stop crying and We were in love.

Toby clearly showed during his earl years that he was a great songwriter. It was a brave decision to call this album Volume one, as there was no certainty that his career would last long enough to justify a second volume. When his career went through a quiet spell it looked like a foolish decision, but Toby's career recovered so much that he became a bigger star than ever before. A second volume of hits finally appeared in 2004.


It made me a fan   August 8, 2006
T. De Almeida (NJ)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I puchased this Toby Keith album because I was given tickets to see him in concert and didn't know even one of his songs. I became a fan of Toby's soon after listening to this CD. Although he talks through a lot of "Getcha Some", it's become of my favorites out of the fourteen tracks. "You Ain't Much Fun" is an awesome song, even if the message isn't very considerate. This album is a great collection of country!