The Essential Mary Chapin Carpenter
takes hits from six albums she recorded for
Columbia
, omitting material from her first album,
Hometown Girl
. Since the majority of these songs appealed to both
pop
and
country
audiences, they achieved wide crossover popularity. The 16 cuts include the original versions of
Carpenter
's Top Ten hits
"I Feel Lucky,"
"Passionate Kisses,"
"Down at the Twist and Shout,"
"Quittin' Time,"
and her first number one hit,
"He Thinks He'll Keep Her."
While the majority of these tracks are also included on
Party Doll and Other Favorites
, the difference is
Essential
contains the radio versions, not alternate takes or live tracks. Both discs are recommended to fans of
's modern
folk
/
hybrid. ~ Al Campbell