Tracy Byrd spearheads benefit concert for Texas governor's manion

Different Things

Tracy Byrd has returned to his traditional country roots with his independent label debut, mixing hardcore country, mid-tempo ballads and western swing on the 11-song disc. First single "Cheapest Motel" lyrically is about as country as you can get - "the cheapest motel in town cost him everything." The title song has a similar dose of hurting with Byrd singing "what I want and what I need have always been different things." The album isn't all about cheating ...

Greatest Hits

At first glance, the title of this anthology seems peculiar. There's nothing to indicate, as all Tracy Byrd Watchers know, that this is his second greatest hits collection. This reticence can't be a nod to truth in advertising since adding on a couple of unreleased tracks (as T Byrd does here with "Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman" and "Johnny Cash") has become de rigueur in these situations. Maybe it's because three of the tracks on this are also on "Keepers," his first GH package. ...

The Truth About Men

Tracy Byrd owns a big sounding voice, but he has rightfully managed to get pigeon-holed as either singer of novelty fare, kind of like Joe Diffie did, or lightweight mushy songs. But Byrd has recorded far better material than "Watermelon Crawl," perhaps the height of novelty absurdity. What Byrd has been unable to do is break free from those shackles and be allowed to sing hard core country, something he is clearly capable of doing. And unfortunately this is no exception. The title track is cute ...