It was nearly 20 years ago when I first discovered the greatness of country music legend- Dwight Yoakam. I’ll never forget it since it happened at work at my very first job in the music industry where I was an assistant at EMI Records in New York. One afternoon at the office, our VP of Rock radio promotion was blaring this very cool tune out of his office. It was a sound and style that sounded sorted of familiar in that “country-rock” type of way - but being a fan of all that Brit-pop music of the 80s, I never really cared much about or paid attention to…until then. That song was “Fast as You” which was a brand new single being released from Dwight Yoakam’s forthcoming album “This Time”. From that moment on- I have become a huge fan of Dwight Yoakam’s music which has further opened my mind to country music in general- let alone some of the greatest singers/songwriters /musicians- ever. To Dwight- I owe much thanks and to this day- I am forever grateful for having such a cool boss who helped open my mind to his great music.
Dwight’s latest release of “3 Pears” has been a long time coming and for us die-hard fans and let me tell you- it was well worth the wait. After seven long years, Dwight finally hit the studios to write and produce this fine composition of 14 great tracks which is truly classic Dwight.
The album opens up with a bright rocky track “Take hold of my hand”- co-written by Kid Rock. In typical Dwight style- this song deals with love loss and suggests a way to be comforted – by one who has also been in a similar situation hence the clever lyrics of “But what’s left of yours might help heal mine”. A great opening song for the album.
“Waterfall” is probably my personal favorite on the album. This album’s lyrics are so clever and quirky- which is a familiar song-writing style of Dwight’s. Aside from the title- he mentions random things like jellyfish, peanut butter and giraffes, yet expresses how life goes on even in times of war and that he still believes in love because what we really need in life can be enough, as opposed to everything else you wish you had.
Dwight has a tendency to pay homage to a lot of his influences on records and he continues this trend on “3 PEARS” with the Joe and Rose Lee Maphis’ classic “Dim Lights, thick Smoke”. In his live shows, Dwight sometimes shares the story of how Joe and Rose Lee wrote this song back in 1950’s after experiencing a very loud Buck Owens show. Needless to say the track is timeless and Dwight does it much justice.
The album next slows down a pace with “Trying” which incorporates some of his signature organ sounds and yearning heart lyrics. “Nothing but love” follows as a cute three -minute little number where Dwight sings about one of his all-time favorite themes.
Fellow country music singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe co-wrote “It’s Never Alright” with Dwight which lends to the albums heart-felt bluesy ballad. This waltz also incorporates a strong horn section which adds a nice touch to the track and overall flavor to the album.
Dwight collaborates with Beck (yes, as in the “indi” artist known for his 1994 hit “Loser”) for two tracks on the album, “A Heart like Mine” & “Missing Heart”. “A Heart Like Mine” is a rockin’ upbeat track on which Beck co-produces & even does the handclaps. “Missing Heart” is also co-produced by Beck and is somewhat more of a haunting tune which tells of emptiness and vacant stares with no direction of moving on. It also features the traditional steel guitar- which is another familiar sound you’re almost always likely to find on a Dwight album.
The title track “3 Pairs” is clever catchy little number – again featuring some quirky lyrics that’s very typical of Dwight’s writing style. He plays on words with lyrics like “Three pairs of glasses, three pairs of shades, three pairs of other things, all there is spades. It’s also one of the album’s shortest tracks being under 3 minutes long.
“Rock it all Away” is a cool mid-tempo rock track that stresses doubt about relationships. He starts off saying how he didn’t believe or trust in things, then finds someone who he relates to and can “Rock it all the way”- but “whatever it was ain’t addin’ up anymore”, which leads him back to doubt.
Track 12 “Long Way to Go” (Reprise) is a stripped back version of Track 8. It’s a beautifully done raw version of this song with just piano and Dwight’s vocals- which is something a little different for him. It almost lends to have a bit if a Jackson Brown feel to it in parts. Lyrically, in both versions, he sings “I’ve got a long way to go to before I get there” and that realization is pretty much what this song is about.
The album features 2 bonus tracks at the end which are actually two classic cover songs. Dwight performs his second version of the Johnny Cash classic “Ring of Fire” which is different to the version he recorded back in 1986 on his debut album “Guitars, Cadillacs, etc., etc.”. This version is a toned-down sultry version of the song compared to the original. The album finishes off with a cool very “Dwight style” version of the Bee Gees classic “To Love Somebody”.
Overall, I would say that overall Dwight fans should embrace “3 Pears” as it really is classic Dwight.
And here’s me embracing the man himself a few years back!
-Karen M
