Customer Reviews

Dwight Sings Buck (Dig)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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

This CD does not disappoint. Dwight Yoakam's renditions of Buck Owens' songs are amazing. Bringing this well known "Bakersfield Sound" to it's current and modern state will leave you remembering why you loved it so much the first time around. It's a teriffic memorial to the late Buck Ownens, a man who was timeless and pushed country music to a new direction. Dwight really knows how to rock the tunes and will give you years of joy listing to this over and over again.

Once again, Dwight proves he has his own personal view of someone else's material and it's an eye opener. From his renditions of classics such as Act Naturally and Together Again, all the way to purring and growling his way through Only You - it's all pure Dwight using Buck Owens' material as a base. I highly recommend this album to country music fans and Buck and Dwight fans alike.

I'll keep it short and simple. After seeing[television] and hearing[records/radio]Dwight & Buck divinely harmonizing and co-leading on vocals, while each respectfully held his own, on a few hits & tracks over the past 20 years, DWIGHT had to be BUCK OWENS' musical pride and joy, and the rightful heir to Buck's influential legacy. Buck must've enjoyed the fact that 'somebody out there' other than the record buying fans was LISTENING to his music and being inspired to carry the torch. Buck Owens was one of a kind in music history - nobody else ever sounded nor played music as he did. Dwight Yoakam is also one of a kind, no carbon copy of anybody else, absolutely rare and unique in that he absorbed his musical influences well, bred them in his mind, ears and soul, and molded every ounce into his own distinct, identifiable sound. Dwight does Buck mighty proud, and Mr. Owens is smiling down on his sincere friend.

What an incredible album ... Dwight Yoakam obviously devoted a lot of care and poured a lot of emotion into this tribute to his friend and mentor, Buck Owens, and his love for the man and his music shows in every note. Eddie Perez, Josh Grange, Kevin Smith, Mitch Marine, Skip Edwards, and the rest of the musicians who contributed also outdid themselves. These 15 fantastic songs are faithful to the classic Bakersfield sound of Buck and The Buckaroos, yet they take on new life as Dwight and his bandmates make them their own. An instant classic and a must-have for Dwight's fans, Buck's fans, and honky tonk fans everywhere ...

The thing I like most about this cd is the liner notes and photographs. They're clearly done with love and respect for Buck and it comes through very clearly. I saw Dwight perform not long after Buck's passing. The performances I heard then were heartfelt and emotional.
Unfortunately, the recordings found here haven't had me coming back to listen over and over and over again, like I usually do with everything Dwight releases. My biggest qualm is how too much Dwight attempts to infuse these classics with his own style. Usually you'd say that's EXACTLY what you'd want; I would too - but a little too often, the end results left me thinking "blah". Those songs I heard him play in concert had more soul and feeling than the versions found on this album. It's not a good sign, when you're hearing Buck's original arrangements instead of being carried away with those chosen by Dwight. It's quality work, but in this case, it's just a case of tinkering too much with a good thing.

Upon first listen, it may be difficult for us not to say "wellllll, theeeese songs will never live up to Buck Owens and Don Rich in the 60s!" Ughhh!!! Negativity!!! You know what, let's take a step back and listen to these songs in a fresh context, shall we?

This is Dwight Yoakam and his guitarist, Eddie Perez, in 2007. And what an anomaly they are doing such lean, hardcore country chock-full of coolness. Dwight's vocals are top-notch. After all these years, his register has gone down a little, causing his yodeling twang to come off as more masculine. Dwight has always been unapologetically quick to proclaim and defend the music he loves and it definitely shows here. His voice glows with love and reverence on each note. "Together Again" is especially good. Dwight alters the melody and brings a whole new life and meaning into the song. Whereas Buck's version was semi-happy and tongue-in-cheek, Dwight's remake is a dramatic anthem full of emotion with a sweet steel guitar solo to close out; the honky-tonk ballad to end all honky-tonk ballads. "Tender Loving Care" is also very good with Yoakam's note-bending vocals "I just need to feel yer aaarms areeoouund me" and his voice soars on the anthemic honky-tonk declaration of innocent love, "Above and Beyond". Eddie Perez is given plenty of room to twang the telecaster with dead-on, single-note riffs. Not since 1990's If There Was A Way has a Yoakam album featured this much of the loud, volatile twang of the telecaster. I really love Eddie's violent guitar entrance on "I Don't Care" and the solos on the other up-tempo numbers are delicious.

It's really a treat that Dwight Yoakam has remained so dedicated to hardcore honky-tonk while managing to keep things vibrant and interesting. Buck Owens was a super hip country-western singer and thanks to Dwight's references, his music is much more greatly appreciated. These songs will take you on a journey from the slummy streets of Los Angeles on down long, dusty desert highways to neon-illuminated roadhouses, then on to the bright lights of Bakersfield.

What an incredible album ... Dwight Yoakam obviously devoted a lot of care and poured a lot of emotion into this tribute to his friend and mentor, Buck Owens, and his love for the man and his music shows in every note. Eddie Perez, Josh Grange, Kevin Smith, Mitch Marine, Skip Edwards, and the rest of the musicians who contributed also outdid themselves. These 15 fantastic songs are faithful to the classic Bakersfield sound of Buck and The Buckaroos, yet they take on new life as Dwight and his bandmates make them their own. An instant classic and a must-have for Dwight's fans, Buck's fans, and honky tonk fans everywhere ...