:: Dwight Yoakam - Dwight's Used Records

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam is a staple of contemporary country. It was only a couple of years ago that Hip Hop overtook country music as America’s largest selling genre. Straight out of Tennessee, if you don’t like country music, then don’t buy, burn or bother listening to this album! If you do, and what’s more, you dig Dwight, you’re in luck!
This is accomplished country fare, so to speak. Only two of the fourteen songs on “Dwight’s Used Records” were penned by Yoakam himself, methinks hence the title. From a cool, cruisy country version of ZZ Top’s ‘I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide’ to a tasty little rendition of Johnny Cash’s ‘Understand your man’, one of the best thing’s about selling a kazillion records is that you then have carte blanche to choose from amongst the absolute finest musicians in the world to play on your album, which is exactly what Yoakam has done here. His version of Carole King and Gerry Hoffin’s Brill Building winner ‘Loco Motion’, yep the one Kylie did is, well, better than hers at least and John Prine’s ‘Paradise’ is a well cut version too, violins braying over some well executed harmonies, Michael Whitcher’s dobro ‘shmick and twung’. Unfortunately the whole album is sung by Yoakam himself, who’s deep southern nasal twang is just a little too potent for me, kinda like putting four or five sugars in your coffee, if you follow.