Kenny Rogers: Twenty Greatest Hits

This robust collection is as good a place as any to start for those interested in revisiting Kenny Rogers's long, glorious run on the country and pop charts through the 1970s and early 1980s. It includes early countrified milestone hits like "Lucille" and "The Gambler," as well as later pop-flavored outings like "Lady" and "You Decorated My Life." It's rounded out with a sampling of the smooth pop duets he recorded with leading ladies like Sheena Easton ("We've Got Tonight"), Kim Carnes ("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer"), and the late Dottie West ("'Till I Can Make It on My Own"). All told, this is among the strongest of the many single-CD compilations that have been culled from Rogers's long, prolific, and varied career. --Bob Allen