When Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes released dueling versions of this song in 1997, it was apparently a wake up call to country listeners: “Hey, wait a minute. Trisha Yearwood is an amazing singer!” She elevates “How Do I Live” beyond its movie theme nature by adding layers of subtlety and nuance to the typical Diane Warren template. – Kevin Coyne
I don’t claim to have any real knowledge of what it’s like to spend a night at the liveliest of honky-tonks, but I’ll be darned if this song doesn’t make me feel like I do. Because “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” isn’t really about a specific place where people go, and it isn’t even about the boogie itself; it’s about the universal thrill of busting out of the work week, kicking back and dancing your troubles away. From start to finish, Brooks & Dunn’s performance is a twangy blast of exhilaration, and that’s a feeling we can all relate to – outlaws, in-laws, crooks and straights alike. - Tara Seetharam
#348
Don’t Take Her She’s All I Got Tracy Byrd
1997 | Peak: #4
Just a damn catchy trad country sing-a-long. It was good fun when Johnny Paycheck had the original hit with it, and lost none of its steam when Tracy Byrd resurrected it for a new audience twenty-six years later. – Dan Milliken (more…)
The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 2: #180-#161
#180
“These Days”
Rascal Flatts
2002
Peak: #1
It’s the pairing of aching nostalgia and all the power that comes with a Flatts country-pop ballad that makes this song so potent. – Tara Seetharam
#179
“Takin’ Off This Pain”
Ashton Shepherd
2007
Peak: #20
Like a wide-eyed hybrid of Loretta Lynn and Jennifer Nettles, Shepherd burst onto the scene snapping her newly ring-free fingers at the clueless sap not treating her right. Next Decade, please take note: you’ve got a star in waiting. – Dan Milliken (more…)
One of the side effects of the nineties boom was that every Nashville label started looking for young male acts that looked good in a Stetson and could sing with an accent.
The end result was that some solid talent was discovered a bit too early, before they’d fully refined themselves into artists. Tracy Byrd’s a great example of this. Only 25 years old when his first single went to radio, Byrd had been plucked from the Beaumont, Texas music scene that had groomed Mark Chesnutt.
Byrd’s hit material from the nineties was reflective of what the B-list hat acts recorded during that era, though his vocal charm helped him elevate middling songs from time to time. He also turned in a few gems, with his music getting far more consistent as he entered his thirties.
His last studio album, 2006′s Different Things, was excellent, but radio had already moved on to the new twentysomethings at that point, artists who will probably be making better music a decade from now and being overlooked for the new, new twentysomethings.
Ten Essential Tracks:
“Holdin’ Heaven”
from the 1993 album Tracy Byrd
When surprisingly strong sales greeted the release of Byrd’s debut album, radio jumped on board. This catchy tune briefly knocked Garth’s “Ain’t Goin Down” out of the top spot, though Brooks would return to #1 a week later.
“Watermelon Crawl”
from the 1994 album No Ordinary Man
The line dance craze taken to its absolutely goofiest extreme. This is as representative of the early nineties as it gets.
“The Keeper of the Stars”
from the 1994 album No Ordinary Man
This romantic ballad was the surprise winner of Song of the Year at the 1995 ACM awards.
“Walkin’ to Jerusalem”
from the 1995 album Love Lessons
One of the craziest choruses to hit country radio sounds like a Mideast geography lesson taking a detour through southern America.
“Don’t Take Her She’s All I Got”
from the 1996 album Big Love
There’s no question that Tracy Byrd knows his country music history, and he effectively revived this Johnny Paycheck classic for the nineties.
“I Wanna Feel That Way Again”
from the 1998 album I’m From the Country
You can hear that Byrd is beginning to mature and settle in to his voice. He wouldn’t have been able to deliver this as well on earlier albums.
“Put Your Hand in Mine”
from the 1999 album It’s About Time
Another mature record that deals with a father and son relationship being strained by the tensions between father and mother.
“Just Let Me Be in Love”
from the 2001 album Ten Rounds
A warm and romantic love song with a Spanish flavor. By this record, he’s almost an entirely different singer than the guy who once sang “Watermelon Crawl.”
“Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo”
from the 2001 album Ten Rounds
Two decades after Shelly West spiked sales of the titular drink, Byrd topped the charts with this entertaining track.
“Cheapest Motel”
from the 2006 album Different Things
A roving husband pays a far higher price in the end than the motel clerk charged him.
Two Hidden Treasures:
“Someone To Give My Love To”
from the 1993 album Tracy Byrd
Early evidence of Byrd’s affection for Johnny Paycheck surfaced with this cover featured on his first album. Despite only reaching #42, it helped stimulate sales of his debut set.
“Different Things”
from the 2006 album Different Things
It’s a shame that Byrd’s success and talent peaked in different decades. Nearly every track on his 2006 album, including the title cut, would make radio sound a whole lot better.
The banality continues. Read Part 1 
One of the side effects of the nineties boom was that every Nashville label started looking for young male acts that looked good in a Stetson and could sing with an accent.
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