The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits

The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
Greatest hits album by Collin Raye
Released	August 26, 1997 (1997-08-26)
Genre	Country
Length	49:55
Label	Epic
Producer	Jerry Fuller Garth Fundis John Hobbs Collin Raye Ed Seay Billy Joe Walker Jr. Paul Worley
Collin Raye chronology
Christmas: The Gift (1996) The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits (1997) The Walls Came Down (1998)
Singles from The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
"What the Heart Wants" Released: June 2, 1997 "Little Red Rodeo" Released: December 19, 1997

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic -	[1]

The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits is American country music artist Collin Raye's first greatest hits album. Released on August 26, 1997, via Epic Records, the album contains the greatest hits from his first studio albums plus several new tracks.

Among the new recordings were three singles. "What the Heart Wants" and "Little Red Rodeo" were both Top 5 hits on the country charts. "The Gift", a collaboration with Jim Brickman and Susan Ashton, was released only to the adult contemporary format. Also included on the album is a cover of Journey's "Open Arms".

In October 1998 the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Little Rock"	Tom Douglas	3:57
2.	"I Think About You"	Don Schlitz, Steve Seskin	3:26
3.	"Not That Different"	Karen Taylor-Good, Joie Scott	3:56
4.	"That's My Story"	Lee Roy Parnell, Tony Haselden	3:03
5.	"If I Were You"	John Hobbs, Chris Farren	4:06
6.	"One Boy, One Girl"	Mark Alan Springer, Shaye Smith	4:05
7.	"In This Life"	Mike Reid, Allen Shamblin	3:12
8.	"My Kind of Girl"	Debi Cochran, John Jarrard, Monty Powell	2:55
9.	"That Was a River"	Susan Longacre, Rick Giles	3:12
10.	"What the Heart Wants"	Michael Dulaney	3:44^1
11.	"The Gift" (featuring Jim Brickman and Susan Ashton)	Douglas, Jim Brickman	3:43^1
12.	"Open Arms"	Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry	3:21^1
13.	"Little Red Rodeo"	Charlie Black, Phil Vassar, Rory Bourke	3:23^1
14.	"Love, Me"	Skip Ewing, Max T. Barnes	3:51

• ^1Previously unreleased track.

Production

• "Love, Me" produced by Jerry Fuller and John Hobbs
• "In This Life" and "That Was a River" produced by Garth Fundis and John Hobbs
• "The Gift," "Open Arms," "Little Red Rodeo" produced by Billy Joe Walker Jr., Paul Worley and Collin Raye
• All other tracks produced by Paul Worley, John Hobbs and Ed Seay

Personnel

The following musicians perform on tracks 10 through 13:

• Susan Ashton – background vocals on "The Gift"
• Jim Brickman – piano on "The Gift"
• Larry Byrom – electric guitar on "The Gift," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Joe Chemay – bass guitar on all tracks, background vocals on "What the Heart Wants," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Larry Franklin – fiddle on "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Paul Franklin – steel guitar and Dobro on "What the Heart Wants"
• Sonny Garrish – steel guitar on "The Gift," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Steve Gibson – mandolin on "What the Heart Wants"
• John Hobbs – keyboards on "What the Heart Wants" and "The Gift"
• Dann Huff – electric guitar on "What the Heart Wants" and "The Gift"
• Paul Leim – drums on all tracks
• Anthony Martin – background vocals on "What the Heart Wants"
• Gene Miller – background vocals on "What the Heart Wants," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Steve Nathan – piano on "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Collin Raye – lead vocals on all tracks
• John Wesley Ryles – background vocals on "What the Heart Wants"
• Will Smith – autoharp on "What the Heart Wants"
• Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar on all tracks, electric guitar on "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Biff Watson – acoustic guitar on "What the Heart Wants," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Dennis Wilson – background vocals on "What the Heart Wants," "Open Arms" and "Little Red Rodeo"
• Paul Worley – acoustic guitar on "What the Heart Wants"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Canadian Albums (RPM) 70 Canadian Country Albums (RPM) 3 US Billboard 200[3] 33 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[5] 45

References

1. Owens, Thom. "The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
2. "RIAA – Searchable Database: Collin Raye". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
3. "Collin Raye Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
4. "Collin Raye Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
5. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2021.