The songs:
"Much Too Young" (Taylor/Brooks) was Garth's first hit single, and is about a rodeo cowboy, "the white line's getting longer and the saddle's getting cold", and is one of the terrific "story" songs on this CD.
"Not Counting You", is one of the few up-tempo songs, and is the only one penned by Garth alone. The words are a clever example of writing in negatives: "There's no exception to the rule / I've never been nobody's fool / I've never lost at love not counting you". It was the second of the singles from this CD, and one of my favorite tracks.
Two others that were singles have become signature songs for Garth: "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Blazy/Brooks), a beautiful, meaningful ballad, and "The Dance" (Tony Arata), another lovely ballad with Bobby Wood on piano shining in a truly wonderful musical arrangement.
"Everytime That it Rains" (Stefl/England/Brooks) "And through the dance we both stumbled and with the buttons we fumbled", and "Cowboy Bill" (Bastian/Berghoff) are two more "story" songs that draw one in with their well-told tales, and Garth's great interpretations.

This is intelligent, finely crafted, high-quality country music, and Garth's smooth and rich vocals, and the superb musicianship of his band makes this one of the most auspicious "firsts" I've ever heard, and an essential CD in my collection. Total time 33'30.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:


A strong debut  Jan 23, 2000 By Ken Schoonover, Jr.
Garth Brooks' self-titled debut album is a strong one. Garth's debut single, the rodeo song "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old", was my favorite song by Garth until "The Dance" superseded it. "The Dance", which on the surface sounds like a relationship song but is actually a celebration of life, was written by Garth's friend Tony Arata, who would go on to write some other great songs which Garth recorded. The love ballad "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and the honky-tonk song "Not Counting You" were the other hit songs from "Garth Brooks". Other highlights are "Everytime That It Rains", "Nobody Gets Off In This Town", and Garth's remake of the classic Charley Pride song "I Know One". Garth went on to make quite a few great albums, but his debut album, in my opinion, is a classic.

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Spectacular country debut  Nov 08, 2000 By Shaun Henderson
Garth Brooks' self-titled 1989 debut is one of, if not the best release from the multi-million selling country superstar. None of the ten tracks can be mistaken for anything but country. If his pop-crossover experiment "Chris Gaines" made you sick and longing for the country Garth, just listen to this album and remember why country fans fell in love with him and his music. You probably already know the hit singles "If Tomorrow Never Comes," "The Dance" and "Much too young (to fell this damn old)," and the album's other seven songs live up to the same standards these do, especially "Not Counting You," "Alabama Clay," and "Every time that it Rains," songs that, if released as singles, would undoubetly gone straight to no. 1. If you had to choose one of Garth's releases to own, this would be the one.

5 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Near-Perfect Country Debut  Aug 31, 2002 By Westley
Like many Garth fans, I didn't buy GARTH BROOKS until after his second CD, NO FENCES, was a huge hit. From that time on, though, his debut CD has been my favorite. In fact, I think it's one of the best country CD's I've ever heard. This CD's two biggest hits were IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES and THE DANCE - both are superb ballads that have remained two of his most beloved songs (both of highlights of his 1998 DOUBLE LIVE CD). However, my favorite song on the CD (and perhaps the best song he's ever done) is MUCH TOO YOUNG. It's a terrific story about the rough and tumble life of a rodeo cowboy, and it reminds me a lot of George Strait's hit Amarillo By Morning. Other great up-tempo songs on this album include NOT COUNTING YOU, I'VE GOT A GOOD THING GOING, and the humorous NOBODY GETS OFF IN THIS TOWN. All of the elements that would make Garth a star are on this CD. Plus, it's his most purely country CD. Highly recommended for fans of Garth, country music, and well-written songs.

5 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Strong debut by Garth  Mar 14, 2002 By Ken "KC Music Fan"
Garth Brooks' self-titled debut album is a strong one. Garth's first single, the rodeo song "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old", was my favorite song by Garth until "The Dance" superseded it. "The Dance", which on the surface is a relationship song but is actually a celebration of life, was written by Garth's friend Tony Arata, who would go on to write some other great songs which Garth recorded. The love ballad "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and the bouncy honky-tonk song "Not Counting You" were the other hits from the record. "Everytime That It Rains", "I've Got A Good Thing Going", "Cowboy Bill", "Nobody Gets Off In This Town", and "I Know One"(the classic Charley Pride song) are also strong songs. Garth would get away a bit from his traditional country sound on some of his later records, but with the exception of the pop-oriented In The Life Of Chris Gaines, he never made an album that absolutely flopped. Garth has made a lot of strong albums since his debut, but his debut album, in my opinion, is a classic.

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