I chose to review this next album
in anticipation of also reviewing the live tour that is supporting it. As ill
luck would have it, tonight’s concert has been postponed. Since I don’t know
the reasons behind it, I’m not going to call Mr. Yoakam out; something serious
could have happened.
While that show can’t go on, this
one must so let’s get to it!
Disc 929 is….Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…
Artist: Dwight
Yoakam
Year of Release: 2016
What’s up with the Cover? A place where palm trees grow,
rents are low and (given the album’s content) Dwight Yoakam is obviously
thinking ‘bout makin’ his way back. Bonus points for identifying that musical
reference. Hint: it’s not Dwight Yoakam.
How I Came To Know It: I read a review of it and it
sounded intriguing enough that, coupled with knowing I was going to see him
live, caused me to buy it.
How It Stacks Up: A year ago I reviewed (and then gave away) my
Dwight Yoakam compilation album (back at Disc 796). I have since purchased 7 of
his studio albums. I must
regrettably put this one last.
Ratings: 3 stars
It is
always great to see a musician late in their career that isn’t afraid to
experiment with their sound, and “Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…” finds a 60 year
old Dwight Yoakam trading in his urban cowboy country for a more traditional
bluegrass sound. I like it, but I wish he had gone even further down that road.
The songs
are not new, but are selected from previous albums ranging from 1986’s “Guitars,
Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.” through 200’s “Tomorrow’s Sounds Today.” Yoakam makes a
nice selection, mixing in major hits (“Guitars,
Cadillacs,” “Please Please Baby”),
minor hits (“These Arms”, “Gone (That’ll Be Me)” and a half-dozen
deep cuts.
Since I
never listened to mainstream country radio (or any other radio, for that
matter), the deep cuts didn’t feel very deep. Half the songs I’ve been
listening to over the past year. The other half are off albums I haven’t
purchased yet, and were new to me. Regardless, whether you are a casual fan or
a die-hard “own everything” type, these are all solid selections.
When I
first started writing this review I was intending to bemoan that the songs are
not sufficiently different from the originals and that is still true in part.
The bones of the songs are left alone, and a big part of it all is the new
instrumentation. A mandolin replaces a drum to keep time, and the banjo and the
fiddle get more love in the arrangement. Of course, everyone is unplugged.
The big
change is the way the music is played; something I didn’t clue into until I
played the six original tracks I have on previous albums side-by-side with their
“Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…” versions. Country music tends to play off the
back of the beat, whereas bluegrass plays off the front. This means country
tends to mosey and bluegrass sounds sprightlier. I know this because my guitar
teacher taught me in the bluegrass style. He did this partly because it is very
unforgiving when keeping time (and therefore teaches you to do it better) and
partly because he loves bluegrass. But I digress…
The point
of all that music nerdery, is that even though there aren’t a lot of other
changes, just playing the songs as bluegrass songs changes their sound. On songs
that are country dirges like “Sad Sad
Music” or “Home For Sale” it
doesn’t work quite as well, but apart from those two the songs are equal to –
and sometimes better than – the originals, with the bluegrass timing often giving
them a bit more jump.
Yoakam’s
voice, with his high plaintive power, is still the star of the show. Thirty
years into his career it is impressive how he can still generate such a unique
and emotionally evocative tone. I would have liked to hear him in concert so I
could assess just how much of that is post-production (the show is still being
rescheduled) but I suspect he’s still got ‘it’.
The only new content to Yoakam’s catalogue is
(ironically) a cover. Yoakam gives Prince’s classic “Purple Rain” a bluegrass makeover. I’ve always felt that it is a
shame that Yoakam is known so much for his covers, and less so for his original
material, which is solid on its own. That said, Yoakam owns “Purple Rain”. Prince has always
constructed beautiful songs, but hearing it reimagined as bluegrass made me wish
it had always been this way. Mandolin, banjo and violin solos all fit right in
like the song was made for them. It is a fitting tribute to a musical legend
lost to us before his time.
Because the
album stand on the shoulders of previously released on other records, I’m putting
it at the bottom of my Dwight Yoakam collection but there is no shame in that.
I started off grumpy with this lack of original content but it has grown on me
with every listen. I’ve come to appreciate both the musicianship of the backing
band, and also the subtle transformation the style works on the material.
Best
tracks: Free to
Go, Listen, Guitars Cadillacs, Purple Rain
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