AMG Review of Anthology, Vol. 1

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

As the title may suggest, 2005's Anthology, Vol. 1 isn't necessarily a greatest-hits collection -- it does have two charting hits from Chris LeDoux, specifically 1992's "Workin' Man's Dollar" and 1999's "Life Is a Highway," but this doesn't have as many hits as Capitol's 1999 collection, 20 Greatest Hits, nor does it have the great majority of his charting singles from the '80s and '90s. Instead, Anthology, Vol. 1 should be considered a sampler of LeDoux's '90s work for Liberty and its parent company, Capitol. There's a rare track in the opener, "Airborne Cowboy," but this is primarily a collection of album tracks, and while it doesn't necessarily contain LeDoux's most familiar work, it does contain a good sampling of his best latter-day work, making it a nice sampler for the curious and casual fan. (Although it has to be said that it would have been nice if there were liner notes explaining why each particularly track was included, nevertheless it's a good, entertaining comp.)