“Greatest Hits II (Arista Nashville) – Diamond Rio

One of the fairly common tricks in the recording industry these days is to release a greatest-hits album that isn’t all just greatest hits.

The thought is to release some new tunes in conjunction with a set of hits, hoping the new tunes will become hits, too.

Diamond Rio has used this approach with this May 9 release, but the move probably was unnecessary. This band, which debuted 15 years ago with the No.1 hit “Meet in the Middle,” has displayed the staying power reserved for relatively few acts in the country-to-pop culture that dominates the airwaves these days.

That’s because this six-member band fronted by Marty Roe has displayed versatility in its music as well as its message. Musically, the group blends smooth-sounding melodies with an instrumental versatility that’s on display from the upbeat “Unbelievable” to the song that will remind people of Diamond Rio long after the band has moved on, the emotional “One More Day.”

And the messages range from the topical – from alcoholism in “You’re Gone” and aging in “Wrinkles” to spirituality in “I Believe” – to the less dramatic in one of the four new songs offered, “Redneck Love Gone Bad.”

The old songs were hits, and the new songs, including “God Only Cries,” “Over You,” and “In God We Still Trust,” likely will be, too, some day given Diamond Rio’s long track record of striking a connective chord with America’s country music masses.