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Sure, I had my reservations… a Dwight Yoakam record without
Pete Anderson playing and producing? Who's going to make the
guitars sizzle and twang perfectly, and who will be responsible for
putting all the sonic puzzle pieces in their respective places to
create a perfect country record once again? Well, I guess over the
years some of that Pete Anderson influence has more than rubbed off
on Dwight, himself. Not only is every song on this new release penned
by Yoakam, but he has production credits, also. And let me tell you,
he's created another perfect country record. Never content to rest
on his laurels, Yoakam has not only preserved his own musical integrity,
but Blame The Vain finds him pushing himself into new sonic
territory as well. Let's explore!
The signature Dwight Yoakam moves are all here. The Appalachian balladry
of songs like "Just Passin' Time" are moody and rhythmically
soothing, filled with dark guitars and brooding lyrics. The Bakersfield
sound breaks free all over this record, but nowhere more prominently
than on "Intentional Heartache". The song is chock full
of twanging guitars, high stepping drums, loose lyrical poetry and
brash attitude. Also included at the end of the song is a very humorous
narrative about the characters introduced in the song. "Three
Good Reasons" is Elvis Presley channeled into modern swing
country, complete with a blistering guitar solo that would make Scotty
Moore ultra proud. Where the album makes a huge departure from
previous Dwight records is on "She'll Remember" - A rambling
synthesizer introduction and Dwight putting on British airs makes
for a shock the first listen, but as soon as the intro falls into
the classic tones of the song full bore, all the weirdness quickly
fades. Despite the odd intro, this turns out being one of the finest
songs on the record… a full-blown twang-loving shuffle.
Not only is this possibly Yoakam's finest record to date, but in
the end, this whole album becomes an exercise in proving that Dwight
has had it together all along, all on his own… He's always
surrounded himself with some of the best players out there, but
the core of the music is one hundred percent pure Dwight. I might
shoulda known.
-Embo Blake
Track Listing:
1. Blame The Vain
2. Lucky that Way
3. Intentional Heartache
4. Does It Show
5. Three Good Reasons
6. Just Passin' Time
7. I'll Pretend
8. She'll Remember
9. I Wanna Love Again
10. When I First Came Here
11. Watch Out
12. The Last Heart In Line
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