Dan Fogelberg - The Essential (2CD) (2014)

There have been several Dan Fogelberg compilations now, and this is the second one with the title Essential. The first was a single disc set that came out only a year or so after a Very Best of Dan Fogelberg set was released. There were a few differences in song selection between the single disc "Essential" and the Very Best Of, and both did yeoman's jobs of collecting his many hits, but at only one disc each did not really cover the breadth of his career. This two disc Essential Dan Fogelberg does a better job of giving an overview of his fine career. Most of his hits were love songs, and fine ones they were, but his musical and lyrical talents far exceeded just the love song singer, with finely constructed story songs and deeply personal songs about living in the world. Definitely of the sensitive singer-songwriter school, but hey, that is one of my favorite schools to be from. As a fan, the only thing missing from this collection - other than a lot of personal favorites - is anything that shows his strong - very strong - sense of melody and instrumental prowess. The man was an extraordinary musician, and he wrote many songs that are just gems to listen to as instrumental works.