Customer Reviews

Gone

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my favorite Dwight Yoakam album. It's not his best, nor does it have any one single "stand out" track (which might be why it missed out on any home run singles)--but as an =album= it hangs together beautifully. It has charm, style, and Dwight Yoakam sex appeal in abundance. In the tracks on this CD you can hear all of his many and distinctively different stylistic influences, from Hillbilly rock to Elvis in Vegas. There's a touch of the Beatles, a little Patsy Cline, a nod to Hank Sr., and it's all Dwight. Put it in and listen, beginning to end. You'll never be sorry.

Dwight Yoakam has blended rock, country, and bluegrass with style and good taste for so long that he truly is at the top of the rock / country pantheon at this point. And this record is one of his very best -- which is saying something. Great playing, great (and clever) songwriting, and an iconic voice -- a tremendous package.

This album may surprise some folks who expect only traditional country sound from Yoakam. He was obviously experimenting here, and it works great! I've had this album since it first came out, and I'm still listening. Keep your ears open all the way through "Sorry You Asked", the lyrics are too good to miss. This one is for hard-core Dwightmaniacs (me) and also those who like a twist to their twang.

Dwight is one of the most talented artists in Country Music. His vast knowledge of country music gives an incredible musical vocabulary from which to work with. He is a first rate songwriter and his collobration with Pete Anderson makes for the best sound in country music today. His band is second to none and can play anything. Check out 'Never Hold You' it flat out rocks but yet with serious country twang. Get this album and everything Dwight has done.

"Gone" is one of those rare albums that has the ability to captivate the listener from the first track to the last without letting go. Released in 1995, it found Yoakam coming off of the success he had with the great album "This Time." Although "Gone" wasn't able to generate the same commercial interest or sales as "This Time" did; artistically, it was miles ahead.

The great thing about Dwight is that he's naturally able to incorporate several different musical styles into his sound without coming off as forced, fake, or out-of-place. You can tell that he's a fan of music in general and does not want to be trapped by the conventions of one particular genre. "Gone" is a perfect testament to Yoakam's amazingly wide-ranged artistry. The album itself includes traces of such genres as soul, punk rock, polka, rockabilly, traditional country, pop/oldies, Tex-Mex, roots music, and (of course) Bakersfield country and his own brand of hard-nosed honkytonk. How many of Nashville's popular hat acts (i.e. Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, etc.) could pull that off?

Highlights here include "Nothing", which would rank among my favorite songs of all time. You wouldn't think that the pensive soul music would work so well with his signature twangy vocals, but the song itself is just one of the many wonderful surprises presented on this album. Elsewhere, Dwight enforces his rock credentials (after all, he got his start performing with roots rock/punk bands in Los Angeles) on the jolting "Never Hold You", while he serenades you with the dreamy "Heart of Stone." The polka style "Baby Why Not" and mariachi inspired "Sorry You Asked?" are both sure to lift your spirits and make you chuckle at their light-hearted, humorous lyrics. And for those who are looking for straight-up honkytonk, "Don't Be Sad" is sure to please.

I would highly recommend this CD to pretty much anyone who enjoys quality music. Dwight is living proof that country music CAN be intelligent and creative. My challenge is for anyone who insists that they can't stand anything even mildly associated with country music to give "Gone" a try and see if it changes your mind. It's that good!

Dwight Yoakam is one of the rare few roots / country artists out there that makes solid straight ahead material, whether it be rock or country, and creates hybrid tunes that really weld together. "GONE" has a lot to say. The majority of the album's mood is lonesome, dark, or reflecting on more of the downs of love. "Nothing" really gets deep into a soul and orchestration sound, as well as a wicked horn section. A dark tune. We get jetted into overdrive for a short two and a half minutes on "Gone (That'll Be Me)", while still crankin' it in the grunged "Never Hold You". "Heart Of Stone" is a beautiful ballad with another orchestration that's more graceful, and is a take on the lighter side of lonesome. You'd think that with most of his lyrics and music he takes little time to humour us. Thankfully, it comes out on the Tex-Mex trumpet fused 'Sorry You Asked". It's gives you some good chuckles if you know what happens when someone asks him what happened to his relationship with a former flame. Great acoustic gutiar rythym, ringing to the sounds of Mr. Cash's "Get Rythym". "Don't Be Sad" makes you relieved that he still wanted to include a full-pledged honky tonker, and is my personal favourite here. Hand claps and golden electric guitar by his good friend and producer Pete Anderson make it a twang of twangs. He teams up with the cool voices of the Rememberants and gets more rockin' to a mid tempo steady "Near You", then gets goofy on a polka infused "Baby Why Not". This album has been his most experimental. A lot of fans of his rockabilly and country (right here too) might wonder about him going off into far left field. Keep an open mind, and listen to him go to work on rock, country, roots, and more. A terrific album, and to all his hillbilly fans, yes, it's still quite country.

I grew up 100% true to heart Punk! I was never open to anything else except for punk rock. One day at work, my manager, a fellow punk, decided to play this Gone albumn. At first I thought he was crazy. Then Why Not came on. That was the end of my hatred for country music. This albumn will rock you from A to B. As a drummer, this has turned out to be my favorite music to play along to due to the ever changing tempos and beat. So, whether you are country or punk rock, this is a must have CD.

If there is such a thing as a pinnacle of musical evolution, this is it. Because the singles never got the radio-play they deserved, the album is not as well-known as some of Dwight's other works; the experimental styles were evidently a bit too much for mainstream radio, but the album is excellent; its only flaw is that it is too short (about 35 minutes). Each track is a seperate story with its own distinct lyrics and music. "Nothing" is brooding and dark, while "Baby Why Not" is as close as Dwight gets to "bouncy" and may be stuck in the listener's head for the remainder of the day. "Heart of Stone" is a perfect finish to the album as Dwight fades away to the tune of a broken heart, and the listener pushes "play" and begins it all again.

This is my favorite Dwight album. Although the songwriting was not as quality as *This Time*, the songs as a cohesively engaging album flow from one to another unlike anything else the man has ever recorded. The cover/insert artwork is also among his best, thematically coinciding with the music. Just look at those moody pictures of him reading the newspaper in the empty room and then brooding the night city streets with the hookers. I like how the record starts with four upbeat songs as he goes through the lovin' 'n leavin' stage, then slows down into the dark aftermath of cigarette smoke and salty tears. The music is a vibrant atmosphere of distorted guitars, melancholic organs, and sweeping strings. Songs like "Nothing", "One More Night" and "Don't Be Sad" rank among Dwight's finest, but again, it's the ten tracks as a whole that create a sharp, fast story that will really captivate the listener. Eclectic, mysterious, sexy, witty, those are the words that describe *Gone*. A true work of art!

thank you

From the first song through to the last, this album rocks! Dwight has brought so many musical styles to this album. The first songs lyrics are reminiscent of a 'George-Jones-sobbing-over-a-beer-to-a-bartender' story. Every song on this album was written or co-written by Dwight, and every song is great, not a filler in sight. From down-home country to rock-a-billy, he brings his unique style to this album, complete with country twang, (which I presume was caused by his excrutiatingly tight pants). Anyway this album is fantastic and highly recommended.