Jon Byrd – All My Mistakes

Byrd has been on the scene for a long time and his biography talks of various bands in the 80s and 90s in Atlanta. He then relocated to Nashville at the turn of the century where he performed as a sideman on his Telecaster. However, over the last few years he’s been performing and releasing his own songs; this is his 5^th album where he co-wrote half the compositions whilst cherry picking some exceptional covers such as Johnny Paycheck’s (It Won’t Be Long) And I’ll Be Hating You.

I nearly missed this album as it arrived amongst the weekly downloads that populate my inbox claiming that the future of music on Planet Earth resides in the MP3’s in the attached folder. It’s a wonderful authentic ‘golden era’ country album of ten songs that exudes immense charm and craft. Golden Colorado starts the album and is a laidback shuffle with Paul Niehaus on pedal steel (Lambchop and Calexico) shadowing his vocal before some 60s strings fill the spaces. It’s a love song about a girl who’s lured him to this rugged and often wild State. A perfect start.

His co-write with Stephen Simmons of Miss Kitty’s Place is a piece of reminiscing at a favourite bar sadly now a vacant lot. When we leave the shuffle we find some sophistication with City People and Why Must You Think Of Leaving. They remind me of the country sound of Glen Campbell. All good things come to an end and he saves the best till last. It’s Bill Trader’s (Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such As I. It’s been covered by everyone, but no doubt the biggest royalty cheques came via Elvis Presley’s 50s rock n’ roll version (although I wonder if Colonel Parker negotiated away some of the writer’s royalties?) Byrd’s take is stripped back and sentimental, a pure country version with acoustic guitar and pedal steel.

It’s a tuneful collection that sounds like it’s been created with a lot of love amongst seasoned musicians. There’s not a misstep here and I love the way his pure yet lived in voice comfortably fits every song with a shrug of the shoulder sentimentality that makes you believe he’s lived every story he sings about. The album will make it into my end of year list at a canter. Wonderful.