Playing Favorites - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Professional ratings
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Allmusic

In his review on the Allmusic web site, Jonathan Widran gave the album four and a half out of five stars, praising the music's "warmth and familiarity" and the way the new recordings capture "the romance and adventurous Western spirit" of Murphey's career.

Listening to the songs on this disc is the musical equivalent of inviting a handful of old and dear friends over to dinner. They're a bit older and wiser since they were last seen, and the details of the stories they share have changed slightly with age, but their warmth and familiarity win listeners over instantly. More than simply an exciting greatest-hits project from one of contemporary music's most beloved and enduring artists, the collection features completely new recordings of 11 country, cowboy, and pop crossover classics that perfectly capture the romance and adventurous Western spirit of the singer/songwriter's 30-year recording career, including his best loved hits.

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