Where does one begin to describe the monumental failure that was In The Life Of Chris Gaines? If you are unfamiliar with this little curio, then allow me to set the scene. Country megastar decides to record a straight pop/rock album and thinks it is wise for his fans sake (and maybe his own?) to separate it completely from his everyday persona.

So along with the album we are treated to a radically different look (out goes the cowboy hat and flashy shirts in comes naff soulpatch and mascara) and a detailed biography/back story on his new name Chris Gaines. Well thought out mind you (up there with Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust') but for a country audience this seemed quite loopy.

As a result, loyal fans were turned off by the whole thing and if the most ardent Brooks listeners weren't buying into it then why should casual observers? Subsequently the album tanked, the ludicrously proposed film featuring Gaines never got out of first gear and Brooks' career was never the same again.

The whole thing was a shame really as the album itself never got the credit it deserved. In hindsight the marketing for the album should have been much simpler. Instead of all the hoopla with a new character, it should have been a neat little press statement as follows:

Garth Brooks' forthcoming album will have a pop/rock sound to it. He has not ditched country for good, this is just a temporary thing. Mr Brooks has sold over 100 Milliion records in his career and has come to the conclusion that such success has given him the freedom to try something new. Anyone who still has a problem can suck an egg.

Okay maybe not the egg part...still.

Now seven years down the track, the album, on it's own merits isn't that bad. In fact in parts it is pretty darn good. 'Lost In You' was a wedding song waiting to happen with Garth putting on his best falsetto to an acoustic guitar/R&B backing. If you didn't know it was Brooks you would swear it was a new soul sensation rising the ranks. Brooks/Gaines flirts with other genres as well, most notably the 60s pop of 'Maybe' and the Wallflowers aping going on in 'Unsigned Letter'.

Incidentally, Wallflower's member Rami Jaffee actually plays Organ on 'Main Street' which sees Brooks delve into country again but more the alternate side in the vein of Whiskeytown. He does allow himself the straight forward country of 'It Don't Matter To The Sun' which at the very least should have kept the fans happy. As we well know, it wasn't to be.

On the opening track, Brooks sings the tune 'That's The Way I Remember It'. All about particular points of view when old memories are discussed, I think Brooks would rather forget this album. I prefer to remember it as being the only time Brooks was a cult figure instead of the legend.