The Hits

iTunes Review

It only took a single or two before Faith Hill entered the top echelon of female country artists, and she grew in artistic range and substance as time went on, developing a self-confidence and aplomb to rival that of her mentor Reba McEntire. Faith Hill – The Hits traces her recording career from her feisty 1993 single “Wild One” onwards. After keeping her profile high with yearning ballads like “It Matters to Me,” she made her first foray into crossover pop terrain in 1998 with the playfully passionate “This Kiss.” The ultra-sensuous “Breathe” was an even bolder move, encouraging her to depart further from her country roots with full-throttle ballads like “Cry.” In 2005, she tacked back towards the Nashville mainstream with “Mississippi Girl,” a loving invocation of her native state. Two newly-recorded tracks included here — the inspirational “Red Umbrella” and the romantic “Lost” — find Faith combining her country and pop leanings. Whatever direction she chooses to take, Hill combines a diva-like sense of drama with a down-home sweetness and vulnerability. This collection offers a fine overview of her ongoing evolution.