Robert Byrne's "Blame It On The Night"

Covered by the Fabulous Krush but eternalized by its original composer on the AOR album of the same name, "Blame It On The Night" is one of the most laid-back tunes ever. But it wasn't written by a Hawaiian musician, yet it's worth mentioning on this Hawaiian music blog! The late Robert Byrne, a resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, wrote an album called "Blame It On the Night" in 1979, packed with ten near-perfect (okay, absolutely perfect) songs that push, pull and tear at the heart. In a word, Byrne's music is superb. His songwriting skills awarded him an induction into the Alabama Hall of Fame. Artists like Ronnie Milsap, Captain and Tennille, Alabama, Roy Orbison and Johnny Rivers recording his chart-topping music. He passed away on June 27, 2005. It was Hal Bradbury and the Fabulous Krush that turned me on to the tune to begin with (you can listen to their version here). I had no idea how good the original was, or how utterly pristine Byrne's songwriting was. Byrne's music is a gift to the world, and the Krush knew it. For a man who probably never spent much time in Hawaii, Byrne created songs that could easily have spoken the Aloha spirit to its listeners. Enjoy this album download I came across, and thanks to my friends who turned me onto Robert's masterpiece of an album, "Blame It On The Night".