Greatest Hits 1994-2004 (Mercury, 2004)

There's usually very little innovative or creatively significant about greatest hits packages and the same can be said for Terri Clark's venture into that realm. But what does hit home after a few times through these 14 songs is how much more than just a pretty face she really has been for the past 10 years.

Her slice of life numbers are sometimes playful, sometimes cynical and most times hopeful. But she manages to make all of the songs her own, even though just about half carry her name in the writing credit. Most of the songs here are the ones that have made Clark a radio staple for most of her career.

Since many of her fans doubtless have all her previous discs, some new moments are thrown in as well. A live version of "No Fear," a song she wrote with Mary Chapin Carpenter, seems to have new verve and even more depth in this recording. There are two new numbers that are more than just throwaways, "Girls Lie Too," which still seems to find a way to blame men for a women's faults and "One of the Guys," where Clark really turns into the dream girls for most of the good ole' boy contingent. This is good stuff.