16 Greatest Hits

Varese Sarabande's 16 Greatest Hits is the first CD compilation of Susan Raye's country-pop hits of the early '70s -- in fact, it's one of the first compilations of her work in years. 16 Greatest Hits covers nearly all of Raye's hits, all but one produced by Buck Owens. His trademark Bakersfield sound is apparent throughout the collection, and not only on songs like "One Night Stand," "Willy Jones," and "When You Get Back From Nashville," which he wrote himself. However, Owens gave Raye a distinct pop sheen, taming the barroom beats of Bakersfield with sweet arrangements and gentle rhythms. This is perfect for Raye's sugary voice, which simply wouldn't have sounded convincing in Owens' normal, stripped-down sound. Raye's singles were of varying quality, yet even the weaker tunes sounded good thanks to the production and her fine performances. They were among the better country-pop of the early '70s that didn't come out of Nashville or was produced by Billy Sherrill or Owen Bradley, and 16 Greatest Hits is the definitive collection of them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine