Tim McGraw's second greatest-hits collection in six years is also his ninth consecutive debut at #1 on the Billboard country charts. That means he must be doing something right. But what, precisely, aside from keeping up his hunk factor, and maturing his voice? Well--choosing dynamic songs that resonate at the very core of most folks' emotional center, for starters. So it's no surprise that this 16-song package kicks off with "Live Like You Were Dying," his ten-week #1 crossover hit. In addition to chart-toppers dating from 1995 ("Not a Moment Too Soon"), McGraw fills the track list with two smashes that never appeared on his own albums: his Grammy-winning duet with wife Faith Hill, "Like We Never Loved At All," and "Over and Over," the soulful Nelly confession in which McGraw, his voice technically altered, essentially serves as the rapper's tortured psyche. Of the four new songs, a cover of Ryan Adams's "When the Stars Go Blue" emerges as a stellar example of the pained loner ballads McGraw does so well, and brings to mind the faint desperation inherent in his interpretation of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." And "My Little Girl," one of two rare McGraw co-writes here (joining "I've Got Friends Who Do"), draws on his experience as a parent and promises to flatten any father who's ever tucked in his daughter. Through the years, McGraw's on-record persona has evolved from the wimpish underdog ("Don't Take the Girl") to the strong, sensitive alpha male, both in his take-charge delivery and his sometimes edgy repertoire ("Red Ragtop"). All in all, this lengthy, hooky offering isn't just a "value pack" for McGraw fans--it's reason to hire a skywriter. --Alanna Nash