Greatest Hits
Despite his ability to garner two greatest-hits packages (the formerwas on another label), the baritone-rich Tracy Byrd hasn't been able to shake his lightweight status, mostly because his forte is danceable novelty songs, as with "The Truth About Men," and estrogen-stirring ballads ("Just Let Me Be in Love"). Both of those tunes appear here, one right after the other, as if to show the dual side of the handsome Texan's personality. If the former reinforces the stereotype of men as football- and sex-obsessed goons, the Latin-flavored "...Love" presents the ideal male as a true-hearted romantic who lives for pheromone highs. Byrd is equally adept at embodying both extremes, but he's even better when he goes outside these roles with songs likeKeith Stegall's "Tiny Town," which lets him wax nostalgic about something real. This second greatest-hits package contains new--if less fetchingly recorded versions--of "Watermelon Crawl" and "I'm from the Country," as well as two brand-new songs. "Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman," already a single, plants Byrd squarely back in cartoon territory, while the rockin' "Johnny Cash" proves to be less about the Man in Black than the saga of a hot-headed prole feeling his oats. Still, the latter is another step outside the box, something Byrd desperately needs to push for more often.--Alanna Nash