It's hard to imagine a better producer for
Chris Hillman
than
Tom Petty
, who pledged a proud allegiance to
the Byrds
with his 1976 debut. That was the same year
Hillman
began his solo career, putting both
and
the Flying Burrito Brothers
behind him, and if that record didn't burn up the charts, he wound up finding commercial success in the '80s as part of the
Desert Rose Band
. Once that group ran its course,
and fellow
member
Herb Pedersen
settled into a groove where they'd record and tour in a variety of configurations.
Pedersen
produced
The Other Side
, the 2005 album
assumed was his farewell, but
convinced
Petty
to produce a new record and
agreed, winding up with the warm, wonderful
Bidin' My Time
. Designed as an intentional stroll through
's back pages, the album opens up with "The Bells of Rhymney," one of several
Byrds
songs here. "She Don't Care About Time," a song written by
Gene Clark
, is here alongside the rarity "Here She Comes Again," for which
plays bass for the first time in decades. These are conscious evocations of
' signature jangle, but on the whole,
's heart belongs to the burnished folk and country of
's latter-day records. It's a cozy sound, one that feels as intimate as a front porch but is delivered with the precision of seasoned pros, and having old tunes -- including sweet covers of
the Everly Brothers
' "Walk Right Back" and
's "Wildflowers" -- threaded in between the excellent new tunes from
helps make
feel like an understated summation of everything
's accomplished in his long, varied career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine