The Lost Sessions

The Lost Sessions was released in 2005 as part of Garth Brooks: The Limited Series, which also contains Sevens, Scarecrow, and Double Live. A Wal-Mart exclusive, The Lost Sessions is a CD of previously unreleased material, including songs Garth loved but were not included on any of his previous albums. The collection contains Garth’s tribute to Chris LeDoux, the #1 hit “Good Ride, Cowboy” and “That Girl Is A Cowboy,” also a hats-off to a friend. Many of these songs were first recorded during the time between the making of 1997’s Sevens and 2000’s Scarecrow. This is a diverse mixture, ranging from some of Garth’s favorite Western-flavored songs to the rhythmic road song, “I’d Rather Have Nothing” to the stunningly simple slice of life “The American Dream” and hysterical “Cowgirl’s Saddle.” Taken in total, this is one of Garth’s strongest selections of material. The final (and favorite) composition is one he’s been singing to appreciative audiences for years: Ed McCurdy’s “Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream.” Kudos arrived quickly following the release of The Lost Sessions. Reviewers noted that Garth had returned to the more traditional country of his 1989 debut album, pointing to standout performances by vocalists Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss and Martina McBride and guest musicians including Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush. Garth’s top-shelf studio crew came back for the project: Bobby Wood (keyboards), Rob Hajacos (fiddle), Chris Leuzinger (electric guitar), Milton Sledge (drums), Mike Chapman (bass), and Bruce Bouton (steel). The Limited Series quickly became WalMart’s fastest-selling music release, and is now double platinum.