Hiw many times have you listened through Carrie Underwood’s Greatest Hits: Decade #1 so far?

Uh-huh. That’s what I thought. Countless times, right? Don’t worry, though. I’m proudly in the same boat with her new album.

Of course, bundling together a collection of an artist’s biggest hits can make it hard to pick a standout moment from a 10-year career. For me, however, it wasn’t difficult to suss out my favorite tracks on this particular compilation.

I have to say, it’s those three songwriting work tapes. I mean the raw, rough recordings of “So Small,” “Last Name” and “Mama’s Song” packed at the end of two-CD package.

If you’re not familiar with this music business lingo, work tapes are the recordings made during the pre-production sessions as the songs are actually being written. No flash, no polish -- just gritty and haphazard musical markers of what could be a future hit.

It’s a very intimate and magical part of the process. It’s the moment when the songs come to life, and Underwood wanted to share that with her fans.

“Part of what’s fun is we mess up all over them,” the mama-to-be admits. “I’m not perfectly on key because it’s the first time I’ve ever sung the song. People are talking or jumping in on things, and it’s just kind of an awesome mess.”

First of all, I applaud her for boldly sharing these tunes in such a state of fragile infancy, but let’s get one thing straight here. I don’t believe for one second that she’s ever sung a single note off-pitch.

And even though these rough renderings sound remarkable -- because that’s the only way Underwood knows how to sound -- I get it. It has to be a little daunting to put such barebones recordings out into the universe as a part of a project like this. But I’m so glad she did.

This entire compilation is a dream come true for Underwood.

“I remember as a kid, just being so excited whenever somebody would come out with a greatest hits because it was all my favorites in one little package,” she said. “And I’m honored that I’ve had that much love and support over the past 10 years that I get to do that, that I get to have one. So hopefully we can just keep doing what we’re doing and … maybe 10 years from now, it’ll be like Decade #2! That’ll be crazy!”

It will be crazy if that doesn’t happen.