It must be frustrating to be the songwriter behind the scenes, crafting melodies that will translate into a bunch of successful songs for good-looking stars.
Well, enough is enough. Byron Hill is no longer hiding behind writing other people's hits. Now he's making his own.
Raised in Winston-Salem, Hill started his musical career at the tender age of 10. He attended Appalachian State University and then moved his way up the ladder by contributing his songwriting talents to artists such as Randy Travis and Toby Keith.
Hill's new album is an attempt for him to express his own thoughts and personal feelings instead of doing it for someone else. The first word that comes to mind after 10 seconds of the first song is "twangy." His personal journey as revealed in Ramblings... is about as country and twangy as it gets.
The first two songs on the album, "Love Crazy" and "Cobbtown" are reminiscent of his high school days: Girls and football games are highlighted in these two sappy and oh-so sad songs.
Ramblings screams of unhappiness. Look at the titles: "Love Crazy," "First Fool in Line," "The Only Thing Wrong" and "Life Will Kill You," to name a few.
This heartfelt album may get a too personal with Hill's unhappy side of life. Perhaps he resents the fact that he's writing successful songs for his fellow country music brothers and is not a successful singer himself.
Everyone knows that a lot of country music is either really depressing or doesn't make much sense to those outside the fan base. There's the poppy country like Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw or Faith Hill, and then there's everyone else who just want to sing songs about their sad, pathetic lives.
North Carolina is well represented in Hill's Ramblings. Where else would he have gotten the inspiration for the last song on the album, "Truckstops, Honky-Tonks and Cheap Motels"? If that doesn't make North Carolina proud, then nothing ever will.
On a happier note, there's even a song that was originally recorded by none other than Ray Charles, "The Pages of My Mind." Hill was inspired to put the song on the album after Charles' death. The song was a country hit for Charles in 1987, but Hill's interpretation might not bring home a Grammy.
Not all music falls under a specific genre, but really how many broken hearts and high school football games does everyone have to hear about? Country acts should start immortalizing something besides truck stops and a tractor pull.
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
