The Mavericks: The Definitive Collection

The Mavericks are one of those bands that inspire such fierce loyalty in fans that any attempt at a "Definitive Collection" that does not contain all of their recordings will be grounds for fiery, impassioned debate. This set from Universal Chronicles goes as far as any single disc can go in attempting to capture the wildly diverse, raucous, and soulful sound of a band that succeeded in spite, not because, of finicky trends in country music. Indeed, the Mavericks embody all of the best elements in country and early rock & roll, and all of their faces are here. All four of the band's MCA albums are represented, as is Mercury Nashville's Super Colossal Smash Hits of the '90s, which was a compilation but also contained six new tracks. And while The Definitive Collection gets some marks for its inclusion of every charting single as well as select album tracks, the rarities are what sets it apart. First is the inclusion of the Nick Lowe-produced version of the Lorenz Hart tune "Blue Moon" from the Apollo 13 soundtrack, and there are also two cuts never before issued in the U.S., "I Don't Care (If You Don't Love Me Anymore)" together with the live "Rancho Grande" from the 1998 Canadian mini-album It's Now! It's Live! With 20 tracks total, great notes by Rich Kienzle, and remastered sound, this is solid compilation that introduces the band to initiates and provides over an hour of listening pleasure for hardcore devotees.