The Ultimate Hits (Pearl/Big Machine, 2007)

Garth Brooks may have taken a break from retirement to do a series of shows in Kansas City, but he hasn't added much to his established hits with this two-CD, one-DVD release.

Of the 34 songs on the album, only 4 are new. There's the current single, "More Than Memory," a departure from Brooks's more traditional "Lost Sessions" album. The mid-tempo song is both catchy and melancholy simultaneously.

"Midnight Sun," written by Brooks, Richie Brown and newcomer Jerrod Niemann, is a pleasant barroom shuffle and one of the most traditional-sounding things Brooks has ever recorded.

Brooks moves into familiar rock/pop territory when he duets on a subpar effort with Huey Lewis on Lewis's hit "Workin' For A Livin'," but he's in top form on the bonus track, "Leave A Light On," a power ballad that suits his voice.

Brooks squeezed most of his key hits on to the album, but he left out early hits like "Not Counting You" off his self-titled debut and "Somewhere Other Than The Night" from "The Chase."

Fans expecting new material from the 33-song DVD will be disappointed. There are videos for all of the songs, save for "Leave a Light On," but most of them are from concert footage of previous Brooks's DVD releases.