Ten Rounds

1	Somebody's Dream 3:42
2	Just Let Me Be in Love 3:48
3	Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo 3:02
4	Wildfire 4:01
5	How Much Does the World Weigh 3:42
6	Summertime Fever 2:43
7	Crazy Every Time 3:33
8	A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side / Mark Chesnutt 3:35
9	Needed 3:16
10	Tryin' Not to Love You 3:17
11	Never Gonna Break Again 3:34
12	Keeper of the Stars Bonus Track 4:21

Barnes & Noble

Snarling guitars, a hard-driving rhythm section, and growling, macho vocals signal that Tracy Byrd's Ten Rounds is going the distance with a vengeance. The Texas dynamo's distinctive baritone voice has never been more effectively showcased than on the dozen well-turned songs here, which are given added ballast by the backing musicians' sure-handed feel for a variety of styles. The atmospheric "Just Let Me Be in Love" adds a south-of-the-border accent via Spanish guitar, which adds an eerie ambiance to Byrd's mournful plea to the woman of his dreams. On the other hand, a jubilant horn section conjures the appropriate party-hearty atmosphere to a surefire, rock-fueled summer classic, "Ten Rounds of Jose Cuervo," as Byrd shouts it out like he's had to adopt a defensive posture more than once after absorbing a few salt-encrusted concoctions. "Wildfire," Michael Martin Murphey's '70s evergreen, is reenergized by a dramatic, nuanced approach meant to underscore the hopes and dreams the mystical stallion represents. Getting into a hard-country workout, Byrd and Mark Chesnutt blend their voices on the sizzling "A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side," with its lyrical reference to Van Halen echoed in the razor-edged, serpentine guitar solos. Byrd lovers will be woozy when this one's over, because Ten Rounds delivers a flurry of hard punches with maximum impact. Seth Kaufman

All Music Guide

Tracy Byrd seems to have a knack for recording well-penned songs that pack an emotional punch using just the right words. Ten Rounds is no exception, but don't expect Byrd to drag you down with the "tear jerkers"; there's plenty of fun on this one too. Straying away from the pop sound that was infiltrating the music coming out of Nashville at the time of this album's release, Byrd's Ten Rounds is a traditional country album, but it isn't filled with the preachiness of the staunch traditionalists. Even "A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side," Byrd's duet with fellow Beaumont, TX, native Mark Chesnutt, doesn't cut completely to the quick when the two lambaste "boy band crap." The same song hails the music of the great Rolling Stones. Byrd's power ballad delivery is present too on cuts such as "Needed" and the Spanish-flavored "Just Let Me Be in Love." Playing the philosopher on "How Much Does the World Weigh," Byrd chronicles many of life's laments, reminding you to count your blessings. As always, Byrd lets the music speak his heart in Ten Rounds, and that's probably at least part of what makes him one of country music's most stable artists. ~ Rick Cohoon, All Music Guide