AMG Review of 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sammy Kershaw

Heather Phares
All Music Guide

Sammy Kershaw's 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection essentially gathers the highlights of his two Mercury greatest-hits collections, The Hits: Chapter 1 and The Hits: Chapter 2, presenting a decent mix of early singles, like "Don't Go Near the Water," "She Don't Know She's Beautiful," and "Haunted Heart," and more recent hits like "Love of My Life" and "Vidalia." Kershaw is such a consistent artist that his past and current work flows together seamlessly, especially because the same good-natured, rollicking charm flows through "National Working Woman's Holiday" and "Vidalia," and his sentimental streak is just as evident on "I Can't Reach Her Anymore" as it is on "Love of My Life." For what it's worth, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection draws more from the first part of Kershaw's career, so fans who already own The Hits: Chapter 1 would be better off getting Chapter 2 than this collection, but for anyone looking for a sampling of Kershaw's work, this album certainly does the job.