Compare The Essential George Jones

It has a similar title and a similar length to / 's 1994 double-disc set , but 's 2006 collection is a different beast entirely. At 40 tracks, it's four songs shorter than the 1994 comp, but the real difference is in the song selection. Where offered a good overview of every label recorded for between 1955 and 1989, could not get licensing for his work for in the second half of the '60s, which means there are a few big omissions here, including and With the exception of all of those singles were on , and their absence is felt on , as is the absence of numbers like 1959's to 1976's These silly songs are nearly as much a trademark of ' style as his signature style, so without them -- and without the songs -- feels a bit lop-sided toward the serious hardcore . Hardly a fatal flaw, of course, since this is where much of ' legacy lies, and it is a good, accurate overview of 's career, even if it's not as thorough or lively as . Apart from the aforementioned sides and his work of the '90s (which is hardly a glaring omission), this offers a fair representation of his many labels: there are four cuts from , six apiece from , a whopping 25 sides from -- which is appropriate, since he spent nearly 20 years on the label and had over 60 charting singles while he was there -- and, as a coda, a cut from his 1999 album for . Along the way, most, but certainly not all, of his big hits are presented, including Any compilation that has all these hits, along with many other excellent songs, is bound to be a great listen and a useful overview -- it's just that the absences here are large enough that this can't quite supplant , which remains the best overall compilation. But if that set can't be found, this is a good substitute. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine