"Ramblings is all Hill songs (most of them co-writes), chosen from his massive catalogue because they were, he explains, among the most personally meaningful. The pleasure is ours. Hill delivers the songs in a dusty baritone that on occasion calls to mind such masters of lyrical intimacy as Merle Haggard and Alan Jackson. The production is cleanly acoustic and crisply orchestral, with guitars, mandolins, harmonicas, drums, dobros and fiddles moving his reflections on life, love true or untrue, and the musician's lot."

-Jerome Clark, RAMBLES.NET

 

"Byron's nicely textured acoustic song cycle Ramblings...'Love Crazy', 'First Fool In Line', 'Bad For The Heart', and 'Now And Then'...sound an awful lot like hit songs"

-Robert K. Oermann, MUSIC ROW

 

"This time around Byron Hill delivers songs that he likes to sing, and of course he has had his songwriting pen in all of them. Not surprisingly, a lot of this would fall into 'hit' category in the hands of some of today's chart warriors"

-Larry DeLaney, COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS, "The Voice Of Country Music In Canada", December 2004

 

"We received your cd a few days ago and just fell in love with "Cobbtown".  Even though we're a classic hits station we've found a way to make it fit into our format.  We air "The Steve & DC Show"  weekday mornings and found that to be a great opportunity to give it some air time and all the locals love it.  We've played it for lots of friends & I'm sure you'll get lots of airplay around here."

-WBMZ FM 103.7, THE BOOMER, Metter, GA.

 

"Hill delivers a piece more pleasant than anything that he has written for others. "Ramblings..." is full of beautiful, gracious, acoustic, country singer-songwriter stuff, similar quality to Irene Kelley or the recordings of David Ball."

-www.ctrlaltcountry.be (Belgium online review, translated from Dutch)

 

"This album is great and perfectly fits the format of my show. I will give it significant airplay."

-Mathias Andrieu, Keep It Country!, NSEO 95.2 FM, Paris, France

 

"Byron Hill spent the last 25 years in the Nashville songwriter trenches where he's done work for the likes of Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Randy Travis, George Strait, Asleep at the Wheel, Sammy Kershaw, Anne Murray, George Jones, and even Doc Watson. One listen to his latest self-produced CD, Ramblings, proves that Hill can not only write great songs but also deliver them on a shiny silver platter......Hill’s songs combine infectious melodies with pithy lyrics. The final result gets straight in your heart....Ramblings has a fine relaxed sound that doesn’t depend on studio sound effects or artificiality for its power. The sonic emphasis stays on Byron’s voice and the simple acoustic accompaniment.....I wish that more contemporary country music were as finely crafted and direct as the songs on Ramblings. This album could even bring listeners who have abandoned modern country back into the fold."

-Steven Stone, Columnist, VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE, February 2005

 

"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."

-Amy Jackson, The Daily Tarheel Online

 

"I’d love to be a song plugger running with these tunes.....these tunes are real country classics.....I’ve been listening, trying to pick my favorite but it’s too hard .....one time through it’s one song and the next time it’s another."

-William F. Williams, Los Angeles, CA

 

"Interstate Inspiration - Highway sign inspires Nashville songwriters to write about life in Cobbtown....Breeze along the interstate, and names will pop off green signs as fast as the small checks of white paint dart by vehicles. Small towns like Cobbtown blend with the multitude of other little-known exits off Interstate 16. Who takes the time to ponder what small town lies beyond the 70 mph hustle of the big highway?"

-Adam Crisp, THE TATTNALL JOURNAL, Reidsville, GA

 

"Country fans will enjoy this CD, and listeners familiar with Byron Hill’s songwriting will not be disappointed. Because of Hill’s emotional investment (not to mention his considerable lyrical and melodic chops), each song rings true, and is destined to be meaningful to many listeners."

-Andy Robinson, TAYLOR GUITARS

 

"New to me, such material as this gets a fresh airing on a new ear! From start-to-finish, Byron recorded this gem with communicative art and zeal. A talent to cherish, here’s a song-writing country-brain that is out-of-the-ordinary with an engaging repertoire of memorable songs – the result is a winning mix.  With a poet’s name and talent, he benefits too from a gentle, winsome, but believable voice.  His self-penned “ramblings” raise spirits and horizons and have attracted star names to record them. Kicking off this healthy mix of self-penned ditties “Love Crazy” has a commercial appeal. One suspects that the album many times focuses on his personal biographical experiences. Each self-penned song is given a basic non-fussy quality-backing of guitars, keyboards, bass, harmonica, fiddle, and steel and such, from star-sessioners. An artist’s artist, the average listener will not find his style unattractive."

-Paul Davis, NCM Radio Show, UK

 

"Ramblings subtly embellishes Hill's sound without distracting from its lyrical focus. A few new sounds enter the mix, most notably drums/percussion and banjo. These additions lend many of the songs an extra propulsive energy that makes this album, on the whole, seem a bit brighter and more up-tempo than Gravity. It's also a little more melodic and hooky. This means that even if you do find a song like “Humdinger on Her Finger” hopelessly corny, it will probably get stuck in your head anyway."

- John Maglite, COUNTRY, CALIFORNIA, www.countrycalifornia.com/

 

 

AND A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE SINGLES RELEASED IN EUROPE FROM "Ramblings"...........

 

"Love this voice...would like to hear more"

-Allan Priestly - DJ, UK
 

"We love it"

-Mia Heylen - Radio Apollo, BELGIUM

 

"Country like it used to be"

-Peggy Bayne - Radio Heartbeat, UK

 

"Everything about this reeks of quality - love it to bits".

-Bryan Chalker – Music Maker magazine, UK
 

"Single of the week!" (Like A Country Song)

-Cor Laponder - Radio Frequent, HOLLAND
 

"Bound for #1.....Hugely appealing"

-Al Field, Triple U FM Radio, AUSTRALIA

 

"Terrific singing and music"

-Graham Hassall – Radio Nightingale, UK

 

"First class performance"

-Sandy Drummond – 3NRG Radio, AUSTRALIA

 

"Lovely vocals"

-Wendy Nicholson – 1206 AM Radio, NEW ZEALAND

 

"Superb singer-songwriter"

Maurice Hope – CMRU magazine, UK