Here are Byrd's comments about the 12 songs on Ten Rounds ...

1. "How Much Does The World Weigh" (Larry Michael White/Lee Thomas Miller)

It's a deep, interesting song. It's something I think about a lot. People hear about the time I spend on the road, away from my family, and say, "That must be terrible." Well, it is tough being away from my family, but my life is a piece of cake. My children are healthy. My wife loves me. I've got a nice home. I've got great friends. The people who really have it tough are the parents I see through the Children's Miracle Network. Every day of their life is devoted to getting their child well. Those are the people who have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

2. "Summertime Fever" (Marty Brown/Stann Webb)

I love summer. It's my favorite time. This song just encompasses what I feel like all us ole country boys and rednecks love about the summer: We get to hit the river and the lake. It's got a great groove to it. Marty Brown and Stan Webb also wrote "I'm From The Country." This song seemed to fit me perfect.

We'be been playing this on the road and it's incredible the way it's goign over. This is country's answer to "Margaritaville." You definitely follow the story because the first line catches your attention. Hey, I like a shot of Cuervo every now and then, so it's sort of about me. I've been there.

Neil Thrasher is a buddy of mine. We hunt together down in Alabama on a bow hunting lease. He's a country boy, son, and an incredible singer and writer. I told him this last deer season that I wanted to cut something of his. They wrote this song, recorded it on a boom box -- and the song kept sticking with me. Every day, I'd find myself humming the melody. The lyrics are killer, too, especially if you're a married man. I realize that my wife and kids need me when I'm out on the road -- and she tells me about all the things she wishes I was home to do.

Mark Nesler played in my band for three and a-half years. The first demo I ever cut was out behind his house in Beaumont. He knows every chord in the world -- and then some. Occassionally, he writes songs like this. At least two other artists had indicated that they wanted it. I'm glad I got it. We've pretty much already got it slated as a single.

That's one of the songs that's a little different from what I've done in the past. The chord progressions in the chorus and the bridge really got my attention the first time I heard it. It's a powerful song.

Mark is one of the best country singers I've ever heard. He's got a classic country voice and he's a country jukebox, but we were really attracted to this song. We loved the line about the "sissy in the cowboy hat." There was a line in the song about 'I like Zeppelin and I like George Jones.' I never was a bit Zeppelin fan, so I put Van Halen in there. I loved Van Halen. That was my group when I was in high school.

It's a great groovin track. It reminded me of another song of theirs I cut called "I've Got a New Life, But I Still Like The Old One Better." It just has that great groove. That's the first song I put on hold for this album. It's got a great fiddle line by Larry Franklin.

Since I wanted to do some stuff with more of a rockin' edge, I thought this was perfect. It's a fresh lyric, too. I've never heard a song written with that kind of idea and theme to it. It draws pictures in my mind as it goes from verse to verse. I loved the speaking part. I'd never done a song with a recitation, so I enjoyed that.

That's kind of a different feeling song for me, too. It's still a country record, but it's almost got a folk influence to it with the mandolin. It's another song that allows me to stretch out on the chorus. That high note in the song is at the very top of my scale. The song reminded me of when I was a kid and grew up out in the middle of the country. We used to run the bridge over the river where the train ran. That was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the song. I never jumped off the bridge, but I certainly thought about it a few times.

My wife and I have always loved "Wildfire," so she wanted me to put it on this record. I've been doing the song in my shows since the club days -- and have never stopped for 12 years. I had horses when I was a kid. I had an Appaloosa colt named Little Bug. When I used to hear "Wildfire," it would bring tears to my eyes when I thought about the horse getting lost.

Doing this remake was [RCA Label Group Chairman] Joe Galante's idea. He figured since it was the ACM Song of the Year and such a big hit for me, it would be neat if we went back to the old days when artists would cut different versions of their hits. This is a real country version, too. It has a fiddle intro and a fiddle turnaround. It just has a laid back, lazy country feel to it.

Graphics © Jennifer Webb, with the exception of the album cover, used with permission of RCA Records.