Track Listing

1. My Heart Skips a Beat
2. Foolin' Around
3. I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)
4. Only You
5. Act Naturally
6. Down on the Corner of Love
7. Cryin' Time
8. Above and Beyond
9. Love's Gonna Live Here
10. Close Up the Honky Tonks
11. Under Your Spell Again
12. Your Tender Loving Care
13. Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)
14. Think of Me
15. Together Again

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4348 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Of course, you're thinking, when did Dwight not sing Buck? A fine question, since Yoakam built much of his vocal style around that of the late Bakersfield master, and recorded with him on occasion, the two even collaborating on Owens's own work ("Streets of Bakersfield"). So while this collection of Owens covers seems like a project Yoakam should have tackled in the '90s, it took Owens's 2006 death to spur his acolyte to action. Dwight Sings Buck moves briskly for 15 tracks, since 10 of them run under three minutes--in keeping with the length of singles in Buck's heyday of the '60s--though several of Owens's most notable No. 1s are conspicuously absent ("I've Got a Tiger by the Tail," "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line"). Yoakam, who also produced the album, keeps the production shiny, punchy, and faithful to the golden age of honky-tonk (prominent percussion, weepy pedal steel, and jittery, stuttering electric guitars), and to some extent he replicates Don Rich's use of the guitar as a partner to the lead vocal. Yet at times, Yoakam almost comically attempts to duplicate Owens's elongated and dippy vowels ("I Don't Care"), while he also brings a new interpretation to "Together Again," deviating from the strictness of the melody and letting the instrumental ending play out for roughly 90 seconds. Then there is the odd track or two ("Above and Beyond," "Down on the Corner of Love") where Yoakam inserts inflections of another of his heroes, Elvis Presley, to nearly morph the Bakersfield Boss into the Memphis Flash. If several tracks also seem too studied in their smartness, and "Only You," with its funeral-parlor organ, features an excruciatingly tortured vocal, Yoakam finds his best moments when he just, well, acts naturally, as his old pal might say. "Close Up the Honky Tonks," the most compelling performance here, proves that imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but inspiration proves the sweetest gift of all. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Buck 'Em
So says the emblem on the guitar that Dwight Yoakam is pictured with on the back cover of his new album "Dwight Sings Buck". The title is pretty self-explanatory; the album is a tribute to the late Buck Owens, the master of the "Bakersfield Sound" and a mentor, friend and duet partner of Dwight Yoakam. This collection is definitely a worthy tribute and checks in at a crisp 47 minutes, with 15 tracks. If I had never heard of Buck Owens and the c.d was not titled "Dwight Sings Buck" I would have assumed that these were all original Dwight Yoakam songs, because he flat out makes them his own. That being said though, the album is without question a sincere, respectful tribute to Mr. Owens. Yoakam never seems to mock or try to imitate Owens' distinct voice; he instead gives each song his own touch and the result is a first-rate, superb collection. A lot of folks may raise their eyebrows at the fact that a lot of Buck's biggest hits didn't make the cut, such as "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line" or "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail", but with the quality and quantity of "Dwight Sings Buck", you really won't long for them too much. The standout, best track on the album is the incredible "Close Up the Honky Tonks", but again, with every selection found on the album so high in quality, it's tough to really try and pick "the cream of the crop" on this album. There absolutely no filler songs here, and they are all superb songs delivered soulfully and beautifully by Dwight. As a matter of fact, Dwight Yoakam both produced and arranged this album, so that's a pretty good indication of just how invested Yoakam is to this project and how important it is to him. In his long and succesfull career, Mr. Yoakam has never released a bad album to date, and this is no exception. In the liner notes of the album, Dwight is quoted as saying "I hope that listening to this album allows you to say with me, 'I love you Buck and I love you for giving us your music every time I hear it'". Well after listening to this collection, I can see where Dwight is coming from. Highly recommended.

After Twenty Years Dwight Is Still Buckin' Em
In the mid-80's three artists emerged as the most talked about representatives of the "New Traditional" school in country music. Playing songs by the likes, or in the styles, of Buck Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, and Johnny Horton, the music of Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, and Randy Travis harked back to the "honky tonk" records that had their heyday from the late '40's to the early '60's. With a stripped down sound of that favored up-front pedal steel and raw vocals over the strings and choral backgrounds that had infected the producer-dominated "Nashville" sound (which always has one eye on the pop-crossover market), they were a breath of fresh air.

Well, it's twenty years later. Steve Earle has followed his own muse, now mixing equal parts country, rock, and a populist socialism that countinues to excite and inspire. Randy Travis pretty much succumbed to the temptation to dilute the "country" sound in favor of greater commercial appeal. And "Country Music" in general has continued to follow its commercial instincts, producing 100 interchangable "Hats" for every artist who sounds like he or she might have heard a country record made before 1962.

Then there is Dwight. He has remained remarkably true to the honky-tonk roots sound that characterized his music from his first major label release "Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc". Uncompromsing recordings of consistent quality and equally consistent unpopularity with "country" radio station owners have been the hallmarks of his two-decade career.

"Dwight Sings Buck" is another in a long line of excellent recordings by Dwight Yoakam. It is a fine and fitting tribute to the great Buck Owens (whom Yoakam coaxed out of a long retirement in the early '90's). Digging into the music of his hero, Yoakam does the late master proud, and proudly. His choice of material out of the Owens catalog is on target. Frankly, "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line," much like "Made in Japan," is an Owens song that to my mind has not stood the test of time, either as social commentary or musically.

So is "Dwight Sings Buck" just "another Dwight Yoakam record"? In many ways, yes. But it is also a great Dwight Yoakam record. Buck must be grinnin' from ear to ear.

Dwight Salutes Buck Bakersfield's Style!

The Day I heard about this project, I knew it would be a masterpiece!
And right I was. To have Dwight make music is a treat. But to also cover classic standards, and for who, but his hero is the icing on the cake.

We all (Fans & artists) miss Buck dearly! Dwight might be one of the most closest people to Buck. Thus, was very careful in selecting the songs that he chose to cover. Dwight paid a lot of attention in:
1. Staying true to the original sound of the songs, Especially the guitar sound of Don Rich.
2. Stayed true to the length of each track (like the original recording).
3. Was not able to record the album during Buck's days because he was afraid that he would not do justice to the original songs sung by Buck.

I till now played all the songs three times, and believe that the CD is a keeper.

Dwight has dedicated his time (canceled a role in the coming Batman movie) to ensure that his heart and soul was placed in making this CD a true bona fide tribute to Buck Owens.

After all, that is the least an artist can do to salute a legend like Buck.

A lot of artists have made great tribute albums, but the music on this CD is special and a keeper.

Thanks,
Nawaf