Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

This single CD combines two of Kenny Rogers’ early solo albums: 1977’s Kenny Rogers, and the 1979 follow-up simply titled Kenny. If you’re a die-hard Rogers fan, you might want these. But truth be told, given the plethora of Rogers’ greatest hits albums out there, it’s hard to justify the purchase for the casual listener.

Kenny Rogers is mostly a molasses-laden mélange of blandish 70s country pop with plodding melodies. Rogers signature rough-velvet voice comes off too thin, too often in the mix. Lucille, Rogers’ first number one solo hit, is the clear standout. With its clip-clop rhythm and painterly lyrics, it’s the epitome of the cry-in-your-beer-’cause-your-woman’s-done-gone genre. Another bright spot is The Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp, awash in heart-of-gold ill repute: “The path was deep and wide from footsteps leading to our cabin / Above the door, there burned a scarlet lamp . . . .”

Kenny boasts two more number one hits: the sweeping pop gusher You Decorated My Life, and Coward of the County, one of Rogers’ biggest hits. The latter song recounts the righteous revenge of a mild-mannered man, and spawned a made-for-TV movie that featured Rogers himself. But the rest of the album tries too hard to catch some kind of poppish wave of disco rhythm. Tunes like She’s a Mystery sound like runners up for the Love Boat theme song. Goodbye Marie is a decent cut which, while still mining that same tapioca vein, at least picks it up with a little syncopation and attitude. The double disc also includes the 1979 hit single, She Believes in Me, which closes out the set.

The few hits are good, but there are better places to find them.