Search - Tracy Byrd :: Greatest Hits (Eco-Friendly Packaging)

Some hits, some re-recordings

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 02/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Byrd's introduction in the early `90s allowed him to ride the wave of modern country music ushered in by Garth Brooks, Clint Black and others. His initial hits were gathered on a pair of anthologies (1999's "Keepers: Greatest Hits" and 2001's "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection"), leaving this new collection to summarize his more recent work. Apparently he hasn't had enough hits to fill a second volume, as he's taken to re-recording three of his earlier works ("Watermelon Crawl" "Keeper of the Stars" and "I'm From the Country") for inclusion here. Together with two new tracks ("Johnny Cash" and "Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman"), that leaves only seven hits to be anthologized from recent albums.



That bit of bookkeeping out of the way, the hits are pulled from 2001's "Ten Rounds" ("Just Let Me Be in Love," "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo," "A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side" "Tiny Town") and 2003's "The Truth About Men" ("Drinkin' Bone," "Tiny Town," and "The Truth About Men"), and show Byrd to be a new-era country singer with a charismatic delivery. He excels on up-tempo good-time tunes that display a fine sense of humor, "Drinkin' Bone" and "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo" sounding more Jimmy Buffet lite than tear-in-your-beer honky-tonk, and ballads like "Tiny Town" more heart-warming rather than heart-wrenching.



3-3/4 stars if allowed fractional ratings."

Sells Tracy's Enormous Abilities A Bit Short

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 02/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tracy Byrd's radio success since joining BNA Records in 1999 has been hit or miss. Garnering only six top-20 hits over three albums (IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEN ROUNDS, and THE TRUTH ABOUT MEN) his latest collection is definitely premature. The hits are comprised of the macho collaborations "A Good Way To Get On My Bad Side" (with Mark Chesnutt) and "The Truth About Men" (with Andy Griggs, Montgomery Gentry, and Blake Shelton), the boozing celebrations "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo" and "Drinkin' Bone," as well as, most notably, the redemptive "Put Your Hand In Mine" and the flamenco flavored plea "Just Let Me Be In Love."



Also included here are three remakes of Byrd's biggest hits from his 1992-1999 MCA tenure "Watermelon Crawl," "Keeper Of The Stars," and "I'm From The Country," which most Byrd fans already own from their original albums or one of Byrd's two MCA retrospectives KEEPERS and THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION. They should have been replaced by the never released on cd semi-hit "Lately (Been Dreamin' 'Bout Babies"), Byrd's superb remake of the Michael Martin Murphey hit "Wildfire," and the defiant saga "Somebody's Dreams." While the two new barn burning romps "Revenge Of A Middle-Aged Woman" and "Johnny Cash" (NOT about the Man In Black) are undeniably fun, it's a shame that more ballads (where Byrd's warm baritone shines brightest) weren't included on the set to give it a bit more balance and substance.

"

Byrd Doesn't Quite "Hit" It

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 02/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Put Your Hand in Mind, Keeper of the Stars, Tiny Town



"Greatest Hits" is greeted with an ominous unease: why in the world would BNA Records release another retrospective collection on the heels of 1999's "Keepers: Greatest Hits?" With only 3 albums released since "Keepers" and a few hits and misses, "Greatest Hits" is definitely inopportune and it is definitely on the tautological side. Even the title is a misnomer as "Greatest Hits" is more a collection of Byrd's post-"Keepers" releases, rather than a career long overview. Moreover, with the lack of promotion and a premature stalling of the latest single "Revenge of a Middle Aged Woman" at Billboard's top 40, could "Greatest Hits" be the kiss of death for this Texan native? Is this a tell tale sign that Byrd's tenure with BNA is on the parting trail? Well, only time will tell.



In the meantime, "Greatest Hits" does capture some of Byrd's finer moments. Nonpareil is the ultra-romantic "Keeper of the Stars." Infused by Byrd's endearing passionate delivery, this impeccably written ballad is arguably one of the best treatises on love without given to those mushy Hallmark clichés. Byrd further shows his way around a ballad on the top 10 Skip Ewing/J. W. Barber's "Put Your Hand in Mine." Listen especially to how he wraps his warm endearing vocals around the tickling piano as the different scenarios of friendship and love are expounded. However, Byrd shines the brightest on the album track "Tiny Town," a Keith Stegall tribute to hindsight.



As with Jekyll and Hyde, Byrd also has a more coltish side, which is untactfully caricature and it has turned Bryd into a novelty act of sorts. Other than the superbly catchy Latin-tingled "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo" which has jump started Byrd's career, none of the cartoon-ish numbers really work. At the nadir is the frivolous "Watermelon Crawl," a track Byrd recorded at the height of the line-dancing craze. If ever there was a song written about women in the same sweeping over-gross as the way "The Truth about Men" was written about guys, then it would have been incendiary reprehensible. The bluesy romper, "A Good Way to Wind Up on My Bad Side," tries, albeit unsuccessful, to bring out the grittiness of Byrd. However, "A Good Way" unfortunately is melodically banal and it does not have the arresting quality as other male duets such as Jackson/Buffett's "Five O'clock World."



As a marketing ploy to entice fans to part their hard earned money, two newly recorded songs are obligatory included. The pleonastic "Johnny Cash" has nothing much to do with the man-in-black. Rather, it's about a couple eloping to Vegas listening to Cash en route. With its curmudgeon sounding fiddling and its copious mentions of the words "Johnny Cash" over some bombastic percussion, this is blatantly a poor excuse for a country song. The aforementioned "Revenge of a Middle Aged Woman," returns Byrd to the somehow novelty terrain. This time "Revenge" tells the story of a divorcee trying to get even with every man she meets. Nevertheless, Byrd does narrate with verve.



Of those have made their assault on the neo-traditional country turf, Byrd certainly has been conspicuously noteworthy. Despite its title, "Greatest Hits" just doesn't do Byrd justice. With only a mere 12 tracks, this is definitely on the thrifty side as far as best of collections go. Also, it would add heft if non-album cuts such as the piscatorial father-son dyad "Pass It On" or the romantic makeover "Lately (I've Been Dreaming about Babies)" were included."