Over the course of ten tracks, Year in Your Life: 1979, Vol. 1 focuses on some of the year's biggest musical trends: new wave, hard rock, and soul. Blondie's new wave-meets-disco classic "Heart of Glass" gets the album off to a strong start that is continued by the always-distinctive Hot Chocolate's "Every 1's a Winner," Pat Benatar's not-quite-punky "Heartbreaker," Robert Palmer's "Doctor Doctor," and the overblown pop of Toto's "Hold the Line." However, not all of the collection works as well as these songs do. Long John Baldry's overwrought cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" probably didn't need to be included here, and Robert John's "Sad Eyes" and Dr. Hook's "When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman" are textbook examples of soft rock's sappiest moments. Nevertheless, this collection is still pretty entertaining. While it's too short to be a complete look at 1979's biggest songs, Year in Your Life: 1979, Vol. 1 does give listeners a feel for the way that year sounded. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide