B.J. Thomas - B.J. Thomas (Rerecorded) (2009)

It seems that Sony BMG's Country series is designed to provide a well-rounded introduction to noteworthy artists from the genre who've had not merely successful careers, but exemplary ones. In the late 1960s, throughout the '70s and into the mid-'80s, singer Billy Joe (B.J.) Thomas scored pop, country, and gospel hits for a number of labels including Sceptre, Paramount, Myrrh, Word, and Columbia. While Thomas is best known for "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" and "Hey Won't You Play (Another Done Somebody Wrong Song)," he scored Top Tens and even a couple of other number ones with a other singles including his reading of "Hooked on a Feeling," Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," and even a fine version of Michael Martin Murphy's "What's Forever For." Those tracks are all included here, as well as "Rock 'n' Roll Lullaby" and his unusual reading of Jim Weatherly's "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." While this certainly isn't a definitive "greatest-hits", it's a fine introduction to a unique song stylist.