Vince Gill & Friends CD

All songs written or co-written by Vince Gill, except "What If I Say Goodbye" (Harlan Howard) and "Oh Carolina" (Randy Albright/Jim Eliot/Mark D. Sanders).
Personnel: Vince Gill (vocals, guitar); Emmylou Harris, Herb Pedersen, Janis Oliver, Rodney Crowell, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Bonnie Raitt, Carl Jackson (background vocals).
Clocking in at only eight tracks, Vince Gill & Friends sports a title that suggests it's a duets album. It's not. It's a collection of eight tracks that happen to have backing vocals by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Bonnie Raitt, Carl Jackson, Janis Oliver, and Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Of course, there are some very good songs here -- "Turn Me Loose," "What If I Say Goodbye," "Oklahoma Borderline," "Oh Carolina," "Everybody's Sweetheart" -- which might make it of interest to casual fans on a tight budget. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Even for a budget-price collection, Vince Gill & Friends feels a little skimpy. Clocking in at only eight tracks where most budget-line comps feature ten, the collection sports a title that suggest it's a duet album. It's not. It's a collection of eight tracks that happen to have backing vocals by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Bonnie Raitt, Carl Jackson, Janis Oliver and the Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Of course, there are some very good songs here -- "Turn Me Loose," "What if I Say Goodbye," "Oklahoma Borderline," "Oh Carolina," "Everybody's Sweetheart" -- but the brevity of the disc, plus the misleading title, make it appear something less than a bargain. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Live Recording