“Less is more” once again proves true in Gravity a new acoustic offering by Byron Hill. The CD comprises 14 numbers by Nashville producer/songwriter Hill, whose writing credits include such numbers as Johnny Lee’s “Picking Up Strangers,” George Strait’s first #1 hit, “Fool Hearted Memory,” Alabama’s “Born Country,” Tracy Byrd’s “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous,” and George Jones’ “High Tech Redneck.”

Hill’s deep, warm baritone is immediately inviting. Sit back, relax, and mellow out as he spins superbly crafted tales of remorse, betrayal, emotional debt, love gone right, and love gone bad.

The album’s first cut, “After You’re Gone,” has an almost Gordon Lightfoot sound and feel, conveying the disquieting turmoil of a man afraid to trust that love will last. A mandolin introduces the jaunty “Took Her to the Moon.” Flowers, fishing magazines, toilet seat covers, bed spreads and other articles of everyday life frame this amusing, sometimes quizzical tale. Hill then croons out a “feeling blue” tune, “Trail of String,” followed by the mid-tempo title cut, “Gravity”, which, as Hill cleverly notes in the song, is about the “physics of love gone wrong.”

A wide range of emotions unfold in the following three numbers: the tender “Eyes of Wonder,” wistful “Hold That Thought,” and joyful “That’s What Love Will Do.” “Musical Chairs,” one of the best numbers on the album, likens love, work, and life in the spotlight to the children’s game of musical chairs.

“Politics, Religion and Her,” penned in 1996 by Hill, was released as a single by Sammy Kershaw. Hill’s take on the tune, dramatically different than Kershaw’s stone cold country approach, illustrates the power and magic to be found in different artists’ individual interpretations of the same piece.

The album closes with “Thanks for the G Chord,” in which Hill pays moving tribute to his father’s love and influence.

Gravity combines the best of “New Age” sensitivity and down home country simplicity. Its sparse, acoustic sound is a welcome respite from the wealth of over-produced albums issued on Music Row today.

Mountain West Music 2002