Greatest Hits (Atlantic, 1997)

Just in case you've been harboring a secret suspicion that Neal McCoy might possibly be the real McCoy, let's review the evidence. McCoy might think the city put the country back in him, but the truth is he's not only not country, he's not even good pop. He specializes in breezy, brainless tunes like "Wink" and "For a Change" and bland, bubblegum ballads like "No Doubt About It" and "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye." You might can two-step to some of this one-dimensional music, but will you respect yourself in the morning?

McCoy does deserve credit for one thing, however. He has not loaded up his greatest hits album with as many as three or four new songs. There's only one brand-new, pre-judged "great hit" here. Unfortunately, "The Shake" is a puerile and sexist hymn to feminine derriere movement. More puerile than sexist. And that's good because the only thing saving lyrics like "Shake it real funky/Shake it real low/Shake it till you just can't shake it no more" from being offensive it that they're so incredibly stupid.