Ultimate Love Songs: The Very Best of Jim Brickman

Upon listening to this CD, it became clear very quickly that most of the songs on "Ultimate Love Songs: The Very Best of Jim Brickman" fit the mold for the typical standard fare commonly enjoyed by a mainstream pop audience.While tracks like "Valentine," featuring the wonderful vocal pipes of Martina McBride, might be recognizable to radio listeners and soap opera audiences alike, other songs such as "Dream" featuring Shannon Brown are a bit more understated, but just as pretty in terms of their simplistic pop ballad appeal. "Never Far Away" is also a standout, with a modern, slightly harder-edged feel to it.Balancing this out, however, are several tracks that are just a bit bland and not particularly memorable, such as "Simple Things," performed by Rebecca Lynn Howard, or the syrupy-sweet "Love of My Life," featuring Michael W. Smith. These tracks just tend to blend into one another, becoming a bit predictably formulaic and not standing apart as much as one might expect, given Brickman's established reputation for crafting successful lighter fare.Overall, "nice" might be an apropos description for this CD, although one wishes there had been a bit more to say.