Bakersfield Cool, Honky-Tonk Hip:
Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Brothers Years

After 20 some years of pedaling his music and 16 years signed with Warner/Reprise, Dwight Yoakam has finally released a box set.  This four-disc set captures a choice selection of the best of his Reprise years, plus a lot of surprise extras and unreleased tracks that should be a real treat for any long-time Dwight Yoakam fan, and a perfect start-up for anyone who is new to Dwight's unique hillbilly-rock sound.      

Since bursting onto the scene in 1986, Yoakam has proven to be a stalwart spokesman for traditional hillbilly sounds and real country music. Right out of the gate Yoakam came on strong with his outspoken opinions, but after his steadfast protestations of what he saw as the death of his beloved country music fell consistently on deaf or uncaring ears, and he faced the very real possibility of derailing his own career before even getting it started, Yoakam eventually decided to let his music do all the talking for him. This it most certainly does.      

Known as much for his sexy ultra-hip cowboy-cool style (emphasized by his low-slung Stetson, skin-tight leather pants, and sparkling Manuel-made jackets) as for his twanging voice and slick lyrical skill , Yoakam rode high on the crest of the neo-traditionalist movement into the early 90's, re-inventing the Bakersfield sound and making it all his own with a sharp and solid blend of back holler hillbilly and raucous western honky-tonk. Yoakam could and did combine banjo with mariachi horns, fiddle and steel with Mexican accordion, hard rock and blues with  Appalachian twang and soul, making a whole new sound that is distinctly and unarguably Yoakam.      

With his first release, "Guitars Cadillacs Etc. Etc.," Dwight blasted through the soft Nashville sounds that had predominated in the late 70's and early 80's and helped forge a new force in country that was as old as his native Kentucky hills, much as Waylon and Willie had done a decade before.  With his powerful sex appeal and intelligent, up-front tear-soaked lyrics, Yoakam appealed to fans of new country as much as old, reaching audiences who loved Hank Williams as well as those who listened to the Sex Pistols.      

In the 16 years since that first release, Yoakam has consistently provided his listeners with music that is as unique as it is true to his roots.  As a songwriter and singer, Dwight Yoakam has made himself a singular force, becoming an "Americana" legend while still carrying on his plain country traditions.  His lyrics are simple, expressive, quirky, and perceptive, the gathered thoughts of a restlessly creative mind.      

With an impressive collection of Grammys, CMA and ACM awards, as well as gold and platinum records and a solid string of Top 10 hits, Yoakam has proven
again and again he is a formidable force in today's country music, even when the country music industry all but ignores him.      

But now for the first time a box set collection of Dwight's work has come available to attract new and old fans with this consistent country music excellence.  This four-disc collection is a fairly comprehensive look at the music he's released over his impressive career, as well as a full disc of unreleased tracks, many of which are early demo recordings, pre- "Guitars Cadillacs."      

Starting with his first major hit, the cover of Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man," this set comes on strong and stays that way all the way through.  The first three discs collect the best of Yoakam's best work from his own rich catalog as well as gems he
recorded with other artists, such as "Borrowed Love," from the recent Earl Scruggs and Friends disc, and "Carmelita,"  recorded with Flaco Jimenez for Flaco's "Partners" disc.  It also releases  three new songs: "Louisville," "Mercury Blues" (heard on recent car commercials), and "Sittin' Pretty," which was previously released on the NASCAR tribute, "Inside Traxx."      

In addition to familiar chart-topping hits such as "Guitars, Cadillacs," "Streets of Bakersfield," "I Sang Dixie," "You're The One," "It Only Hurts When I Cry, "Suspicious Minds," "Ain't That Lonely Yet," "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere," and the hot-as-fire "Fast As You," this collection includes lesser-known album cuts and the singles from the last eight years which got only rare radio airplay due to Dwight being "too country" for country radio and being largely ignored by so-called "country" programmers, such as "Gone," "Sorry You Asked?" "Things Change," "Only Want You More," "These Arms," and "What Do You Know About Love?"  You'll also find splendid little nuggets such as Yoakam's cover of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," a phenomenal take on Rodney Crowell's "Thinking About Leaving," acoustic tracks from the breathtaking "dwightyoakamacoustic.net" album, and several cuts from the soundtrack of Yoakam's 2001 theatrical movie release, "South of Heaven, West of Hell."         

Disc 4, the unreleased tracks, is a treasure trove of Dwight delights, a true pleasure for any and all Dwight Yoakam fans.  Alternate cuts of early tracks, "This Drinkin' Will Kill Me," "It Won't Hurt," "I'll Be Gone,""Floyd County," "You're The One," "Twenty Years," "Miner's Prayer," "I Sang Dixie," and "Bury Me" are tracks which were cut in 1981, before a record deal and Pete Anderson came along, with such amazing
backup artists as Jay Dee Maness on pedal steel, Glen D. Hardin (Elvis's pianist) on piano, and Davey Crockett on drums. Amidst these is a track he never did officially release, "Please Daddy," a true heartbreaker of a real country song.  Tremendous duets with Kelly Willis follow these cuts, and then some remarkable live cuts with Dwight showing his pipes on classic covers like "Grand Tour," "Today I Started Loving You Again," "Can't You Hear Me Calling," and "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It."      

It's the rare country singer that can cover Elvis Presley, The Clash, Sonny & Cher, Queen, Cheap Trick, and ZZ Top, but it's all here on this awesome collection; and it's all country, hand-in-hand with covers of Johnny Horton, Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, and Lefty Frizzell, as well as, of course, Yoakam's own magnificent song writing.  Yoakam has never done things half-way, and this first box set from country's super-hip Renaissance man  is one heck of a start on the way to saluting the career of a man well on his way to legendary status; if, indeed, he's not there already.      

Dwight Yoakam can sing of tears and trials, bitter loss and vicious revenge, love and hate and every emotion that lies between them, and he does it all with a sugared bourbon voice that twangs with authenticity.  He's backed by his long-time lead guitarist and producer Pete Anderson and his usual outstanding group of exceptional musicians (including Scott Joss, Skip Edwards, Gary Morse, Taras Prodaniuk, and Jim Christie), joined by superior vocalists (such as Jim Lauderdale, Tommy Funderbunk, Beth Anderson, and Dusty Wakeman), and occasionally joins his voice in duets with the likes of Buck Owens, Patty Loveless, Kelly Willis, and Sheryl Crow.  No matter who he sings with or who he's backed by, Yoakam has never failed to be anything less than what he promises to be, and never gives less than 100% to his music.  It all shows in every amazing track.  This is a true treasure, and an "about time" set that is definitely a MUST-have for anyone who loves country music.

Kathy Coleman Take Country Back November 2002