Eddie Rabbitt - Beatin' The Odds (1997)

The title of this album says more than many fans may realize. Eddie Rabbitt recorded Beatin' the Odds after having surgery to remove part of one of his lungs because of cancer and during the time in which he was enduring chemotherapy for the malevolent disease. Don't let his illness during the making of this album lead you to believe it isn't up to his normal standards. His vocal talent shines as brightly in this full-length offering as in any of the many others he completed during his long career -- a career that saw his songs earn him more than two dozen country hits and eight pop hits. Beatin' the Odds carries 12 songs. Six of these were new songs he put together for the recording, and six were well-known fan favorites like "Drivin' My Life Away," "I Love a Rainy Night," and "I'll Make Everything Alright." Just those three songs alone are enough to make this a perfect addition to any country music collection. Sadly, the title of the album didn't become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and eight short months after Beatin' the Odds hit the store shelves, Eddie Rabbitt lost his battle to lung cancer.© Charlotte Dillon /TiVo