The Essential John Denver CD

Issued by the RCA label in 2007, this two-disc John Denver retrospective features a well-selected collection of the late folk-pop performer's finest songs. Like the excellent though not as comprehensive DEFINITIVE ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS, the set presents many of the amiable Colorado-based singer-songwriter's most recognizable tunes, including the shimmering "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and the vibrant "Rocky Mountain High." However, ESSENTIAL digs further into Denver's catalogue, offering up lesser-known numbers such as the delicate "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and the surprisingly energetic "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy (Lady's Chains)." Ideal for those wanting more than the DEFINITIVE compilation, but less than the weighty four-disc COUNTRY ROADS COLLECTION, ESSENTIAL easily stands as one of the best Denver anthologies available.

There is no shortage of excellent John Denver compilations, and RCA Legacy's two-disc Essential John Denver collection doesn't disappoint. All of the hits are here ("Rocky Mountain High," "Calypso," "Back Home Again," "Annie's Song," "Perhaps Love," etc.), and the sequencing is linear and concise. Fans looking for a more diminutive yet equally satisfying overview should check out 2005's Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits, but for the discerning listener looking to capture the full scope of the late country-pop great, this rich slab of history will more than suffice. [This compilation was also released as a three-disc set.] ~ James Christopher Monger

Liner Note Author: Barry Alfonso.

Recording information: 1969-1995.

Photographers: David Gahr; Jeanne Ferro; David Gahr; Lowell Norman.Dirty Linen (p.79) - "THE ESSENTIAL JOHN DENVER encapsulates some of the era's best qualities....[Listeners] will find it worth its weight in nostalgia."