PopTodd Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Anyone get this/hear this yet? Sounds like another excellent 2012 release. Guess I'll have to get it.Dwight Yoakam effectively went into hibernation after the release Blame the Vain in 2005. He spent some time acting and playing shows, but he stayed away from the recording studio for a full seven years, and when he re-emerged in 2012 with 3 Pears, it was to return to the Warner group after spending the 2000s as an independent artist. Oddly enough, 3 Pears feels more indie than anything he's cut in the new millennium, and not just because he's enlisted alt-rocker Beck as a producer for a pair of tracks. Yoakam, who produced the bulk of the album on his own, has decided to delve deeply into the spirit of the '60s, looking beyond Bakersfield and adding some serious swatches of pop color throughout the album. Certainly, this is steeped in the thick twang that's been at the heart of Yoakam's music since the start, but he's attempting more sounds and styles here than at anytime since 1993's This Time. This is an album where one song in no way predicts what comes next: it opens with "Take Hold of My Hand," a song propelled by a percolating bass hook reminiscent of Motown, then the album eases into the cool reflective groove of "Waterfall," a song that's a significant tonal shift from its predecessor. By the time the swinging, ringing "A Heart Like Mine," the first Beck co-production, arrives, Dwight has dabbled with sweet soul ("Trying"), laid-back into some straight-ahead rock & roll ("Nothing But Love"), and turned the honky tonk standard "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke" into a cowpunk raver that kicks harder than anything he's done since Guitars, Cadillacs Etc. Etc. By the time 3 Pears draws to its conclusion with a voice-and-piano rendition of "Long Way to Go" -- performed earlier in a lighter-hearted full band version -- Yoakam has surprised by digging deeper into every one of his obsessions, creating a record that captures the careening, adventurous spirit of the '60s without ever feeling doggedly retro. It's as fresh as any music he's ever made, and one of his very best albums.Color me intrigued. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Dwight is a bad ass. I will definitely buy obtain this. Thanks for the notice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Was this from the article in the Chicago Trib today? LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 No this was from AllMusic.com.Didn't see the Trib today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Check it out. Big article on him today. Does sound interesting. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Blame the Vain is fantastic. I will give this a listen for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Read that article, Louie. Good article.Now, did he tour with the Femmes in '86 or was it more like a "coming soon" thing, where he had his name on the Aragon marquee with them?Anyone know? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stooka Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Maybe I wasn't in the right mood, but after a few songs in, I abruptly popped it out and put in something else. I'll try again later... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spui Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I am really enjoying 3 Pears. Great guitar twang and jangle throughout and Dwight's voice seems to have gotten even better with age. Take Hold of My Hand, It's Never Alright, Missing Heart and Rock It All The Way are the standouts so far for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 he's touring here pretty soon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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