Playlist: The Very Best of George Jones

The title of this 2009 compilation contains neither the word "hits" nor "best," so it makes no bones about not being a collection of singles from George Jones' time at Epic. It is merely a Playlist, a collection of songs -- both hits and album tracks -- and in that regard it's not bad, serving up a few outright classics ("A Picture of Me (Without You)," "The Grand Tour," "He Stopped Loving Her Today") with a few overlooked gems and a couple of puzzling inclusions. That latter category is hardly enough to stop this from being entertaining, although if one is looking for either an introduction or a collection of George's best cuts for Epic they should look elsewhere. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine