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The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits

Collin Raye

Released

August 26, 1997

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	3:44¹
11.	"The Gift" (featuring Jim Brickman and Susan Ashton)	Douglas, Jim Brickman	3:43¹
12.	"Open Arms"	Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry	3:21¹
13.	"Little Red Rodeo"	Charlie Black, Phil Vassar, Rory Bourke	3:23¹
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[edit]

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[edit]

Chart (1997)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[5]	45

References

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

v t e Collin Raye
Studio albums	All I Can Be In This Life Extremes I Think About You Christmas: The Gift The Walls Came Down Counting Sheep Tracks Can't Back Down Twenty Years and Change Never Going Back
Compilation albums	The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
Notable singles	"All I Can Be (Is a Sweet Memory)" "Love, Me" "Every Second" "In This Life" "I Want You Bad (And That Ain't Good)" "Somebody Else's Moon" "That Was a River" "That's My Story" "Little Rock" "Man of My Word" "My Kind of Girl" "If I Were You" "One Boy, One Girl" "Not That Different" "I Think About You" "Love Remains" "What If Jesus Comes Back Like That" "On the Verge" "What the Heart Wants" "The Gift" "Little Red Rodeo" "I Can Still Feel You" "Someone You Used to Know" "Anyone Else" "Start Over Georgia" "Couldn't Last a Moment"
Related articles	Discography The Wrays