Brian Byrne
Tailor Made
3/5
Who It’s For: Country or alt-country fans.
Sounds Like: It’s country boys and girls, how much deeper can I go?
Brian Byrne took a huge leap from the style we knew him on when making his previous disc, and now with his second solo album it’s almost like this is where he was supposed to be. If his first disc was a look at the folk side of this tattooed singer, then Tailor Made is going deep into that part of his core.
This is one step away from being a country record. Tracks like “Easy Come” were made for country bars and you are almost waiting for that female Dolly Parton-esque voice to come in for the duet. While “Crazy” is almost the epitome of square dancing song.
Byrne’s voice seems to be made for these ballads and foot stomping tracks. You can almost hear a little of tat twang in his vocals. Canada embraces alt-country so this should be right up our ally. The chorus of the title track is infectious and will be stuck in your head for days. While “Beautiful You” seems like the love song you’ve known all of your life and is easy to sing along to the second time over.
Even if you don’t like country, there is something loveable about Tailor Made. Perhaps it is the sincerity in his vocals and the way he makes a song come to life when he sings it. You can picture the loves of your own life when Byrne talks about his own and want to dance when you can hear the smile coming through on the faster tracks. He has far surpassed his 90’s rocker days with a solo career that feels genuine and his own.
That said I think those who loved his first solo disc may be disappointed. Perhaps he flew out of the gate too strong, but this album doesn’t seem to hold up to what he started. I don’t think Byrne has taken a step down, but he had a high standard to live up to.
Track Listing:
1. All I Need Is Love
2. Tailor Made
3. Beautiful You
4. Mountain Feelin’
5. Easy Come
6. Crazy
7. Look For Me Now
8. Home
9. Colder Than The Lake
10. The One, The Only (King Of Late Night)
11. Love You More
- Stephanie Joudrey
