Truck Drivin' Superhits CD

This is one curious and frustrating collection. While it's true that there are any number of great cuts here and some real trucker anthems, why is it that only some of these are done by the original artists, and what makes "Harper Valley P.T.A." by Jeannie C. Riley (surely a great country song) a trucker tune? The good stuff first: Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It" is here, as is Ferlin Husky's "Truck Drivin' Blues," Dave Dudley's "Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun," and Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John." No problems there. Yet someone has to explain why Boxcar Willie is covering C.W. McCall's "Convoy" and Red Sovine's utterly indisputable "Phantom 309"? What the hell is Kenny Rogers' version of "Elvira" doing here as a funk tune? Thankfully there is an excellent version of "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" by Freddy Fender to offset that tragedy. All in all this feels like a rip; it's half good and half crap. There are better ways for the knights of the road to spend their hard earned money. ~ Thom Jurek