In December 2002, country singer Darryl Worley traveled with the USO to Afghanistan, arriving home on Christmas Eve. Two days later, he collaborated with songwriter Wynn Varble on "Have You Forgotten?," a 9/11-themed call to battle that emotionally evokes the falling Twin Towers, the ruined Pentagon, and the heroes in a Pennsylvania field, even as it takes a giant leap in equating Bin Laden with Saddam Hussein. The single became an instant hit on radio, which meant Worley needed an album to go with it. The problem was, he had only a couple of new songs, including "I Will Hold My Ground." And so DreamWorks reprised six songs from Worley’s 2000 debut album, Hard Rain Don’t Last, and another half-dozen from his 2002 CD, I Miss My Friend, to form this collection. As with new songs "Shiloh" and "I Will Hold My Ground," most of the recycled songs ("POW 369," "Those Less Fortunate Than I") fit the pro-war mood or take on new interpretations in light of world events. No matter what your political bent, this compilation showcases the twangy West Tennessean as a honky-tonk master very much in the vein of Merle Haggard--even if he lacks the Hag’s irony and understatement in matters of war. --Alanna Nash
