If one were forced to choose a single Garth Brooks album to own, it should be his first. Believe it or not, Brooks once studied at the feet of singer/songwriter Bob Childers, an obscure Oklahoman who has written songs more akin to Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt than to the pop country Brooks would later make his cash cow. This debut has a vision of careful songwriting and honky-tonk traditions Brooks never fully recaptured. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is the best thing he's ever recorded, a gorgeous country tune recalling Lefty Frizzell and Charlie Rich. Had he continued to make such strong singles, Brooks's artistic stature might have equaled his stock portfolio. It never happened, but that shouldn't stop us from recognizing country music this solid. --Roy Kasten