Songbird (A Collection of Hits) (MCA, 1997)

From the small-town youthfulness and ebullience of "She's in Love With the Boy" to the passion and desire of "How Do I Live," the theme song of "Con Air," Trisha Yearwood has come a long way over the past six years. She knows how to put exactly the right amount of emotion into every song - her performances are always complex and satisfying yet never overblown. Just compare the understated longing of "The Song Remembers When" to the wailing certainty of "Down on My Knees." Or contrast the sadly quiet, I-told-you-so vocal on "Walkaway Joe" with the sassy devil-may-care attitude of "The Wrong Side of Memphis."

Unlike many of today's cookie-cutter singers, Yearwood is a true artist, always tailoring her performance perfectly to the lyric. This album is a good place to start learning about country's greatest female artist, but it certainly shouldn't be the end. Every one of Yearwood's albums is full of incredible performances that deserve to be heard. Oh, and the already converted should still pick this up for "Perfect Love," which ought to be a surefire hit!