Ten Rounds (CD - 2001)

Personnel includes: Tracy Byrd, Mark Chesnutt (vocals); Billy Joe Walker Jr., Biff Watson (acoustic & electric guitars); B. James Lowry, Rivers Rutherford (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric & gut-string guitars); Kenny Greenburg (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin, Russ Pahl, Scotty Sanders (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Larry Franklin (mandolin, fiddle); Mike Haynes, Steve Patrick (trumpet); John Jarvis (piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); Tony Harrell (keyboards); Mike Brignardello, Michael Rhodes (bass); Paul Leim (drums, percussion); Eddie Bayers (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Marty Brown, Lisa Cochran, John Cowan Andy Griggs, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis, Tammy Pierce, Harry Stinson, Curtis Wright (background vocals).

Producers: Billy Joe Walker Jr., Tracy Byrd.

Engineers: Stephen Tillisch, Julian King, Jason Lehning.

Recorded at Emerald Sound Studios, The Tracking Room and Our Place Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Billy Joe Walker, Jr., Biff Watson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Bill Watson, Rivers Rutherford, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar, gut-string guitar); Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin, Russ Pahl, Scotty Sanders (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Larry Franklin (mandolin, fiddle); Mike Haynes , Steve Patrick (trumpet); John Jarvis (piano, synthesizer); Tony Harrell (keyboards, string synthesizer); Paul Leim (drums, percussion); Eddie Bayers (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Curtis Wright, Harry Stinson, John Cowan, Lisa Cochran, Mark Chesnutt, Marty Brown, Andy Griggs, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis, Tammy Pierce (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Ed Seay; Greg Fogie; Jason Lehning.

Recording information: Emerald Sound Studio, The Tracking Room, Nashville, TN; Our Place Studios; The Tracking Room, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Tony Baker & His Orchestra.

Tracy Byrd's first album of the new century starts out with something you could easily mistake for a Warren Zevon song. This versatile country artist's subtly changing song choices hold the listener's interest over the entirety of TEN ROUNDS; he's carved a niche for himself as the gutsy antithesis to the glitzier pop-country of Shania Twain or Garth Brooks.

"Somebody's Dreams" is an effective chronicling of life's misfortune's that underscores Byrd's rootsy appeal. Elsewhere he strays into Jimmy Buffet territory with the marimba-accompanied "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo," gets all introspective on "How Much Does the World Weigh," and makes a credible and rocking bid for the nation's airwaves with "Summertime Fever," a litany of funtime activities that's as smoothly delivered as suntan oil. " A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side" is pretty much Byrd's statement of intent--he likes Van Halen and George Jones, Charlie Daniels and the Rolling Stones, hates "cowboy rap" (?), and feels that "a little sissy in a cowboy hat ain't country," statements which will probably be endorsed by and further endear him to his many fans. minimize