Keepers: Greatest Hits is an excellent summary of
Tracy Byrd's first five albums, collecting the very best of his hits. Included are the radio version of "The Keeper of the Stars" (rather than the earlier recording that appeared on
No Ordinary Man) and a new song, "When Mama Ain't Happy," neither of which appear on other
Byrd albums. The collection makes plain that there are two sides to
Byrd's career. The first, and most familiar, comprise the lighthearted staples of new country radio like "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous" and "Watermelon Crawl." These songs border on the formulaic, playing up the stereotypes of Southern culture. The other side of
Byrd's musical personality is that of a neo-traditionalist balladeer. "Heaven in My Woman's Eyes" sounds like
Merle Haggard singing to a
Marty Robbins backing track, and both "Someone to Give My Love To" and "Don't Take Her She's All I Got" are stellar covers of early-'70s
Johnny Paycheck hits. With these songs,
Byrd's interpretive skills are given a chance to really shine. While his commercial successes have been the campy favorites,
Tracy Byrd's lasting artistic triumphs are the ballads. ~ Martin Monkman