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Population Me

Dwight YoakamAudio CD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)


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MP3 Music, 10 Songs, 2003 --  
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Music

Image of album by Dwight Yoakam

Photos

Image of Dwight Yoakam

Videos

Close Up The Honkey Tonks

Biography

On March 25, 2006, when Dwight Yoakam got the awful news that his close friend Buck Owens had passed away, it was a shock. Only four days earlier, the honky-tonk compadres had spent four hours on the phone catching up while Yoakam was amid a 17-month world tour. “Buck was just full of life,” Yoakam remembers. “We’d known each other since 1987, and somebody had asked him ... Read more in Amazon's Dwight Yoakam Store

Visit Amazon's Dwight Yoakam Store
for 44 albums, 8 photos, 3 videos, and 6 full streaming songs.


Product Details

  • Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Koch Records
  • ASIN: B00009KTWH
  • Also Available in: MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,812 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. The Late Great Golden State
2. No Such Thing
3. Fair to Midland
4. An Exception To The Rule
5. Population Me
6. Stayin' Up Late (Thinkin' About It)
7. Trains And Boats And Planes
8. If Teardrops Were Diamonds
9. I'd Avoid Me Too
10. The Back Of Your Hand

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The honky-tonk rebel again manages to cover a surprising expanse of musical territory on the first new release for his Electrodisc imprint. Highlights range from a poetic duet with Willie Nelson on "If Teardrops Were Diamonds" to the Dixieland brass of the title track, from the folkie lilt of "An Exception to the Rule" to a revival of Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes" (a 1960s hit for Billy J. Kramer), driven by the banjo of Earl Scruggs. Such eclecticism shows Yoakam and producer/guitarist Pete Anderson in playful spirits, with even the downbeat lyrics of "The Late Great Golden State" and "Stayin' Up Late (Thinkin' About It)" set to upbeat arrangements. Even the brooding balladry of "Fair to Midland" has more wordplay than angst, while "I'd Avoid Me Too" presents the singer as such a sad sack he'd have to laugh to keep from crying. No major statements or artistic progressions on this summer breeze of an album--its 10 songs barely lasting half an hour--just a whole lot of fun as Yoakam stretches his trademark twang in all sorts of different directions. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Such a great album from the incomparable Mr. Dwight Yoakam. B. Mc Causland  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
This cd kept my attention from start to finish.. debra naive  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-broke Hillbilly Music With Brains June 27, 2003
Format:Audio CD
Some men get drunk and punch walls when love and life go sour ... I don't know that there are any fist-shaped holes where Dwight lives, but I suspect he made this album instead. Only the first cut on Population Me does not address love and loss, and only one of the rest, Exception to the Rule, expresses even cautious hope where love is concerned. And though Dwight as usual is a master of indirect truth and self-mockery, some of the songs may be as personal as we've ever heard.

Late Great Golden State has a nice retro feel to it especially in the backup singers -- the sound and style match the lyrics' feel of being out of place in time. I especially enjoyed the bright pedal steel and brisk drumming.
No Such Thing is bouncy and danceable, but has a sardonic undertone with Dwight's broad accent: "There's no such thaaaang as me and you". It's a hurt reaction to the sting of love denied, masquerading as a snappy little tune.
Fair to Midland gave me a whole new reason to fall in love with Dwight's voice... singing in his deeper register, the vocals are rich and grave, and at points balanced by a lovely mandolin & pedal steel counterpoint. The straightforward singing and slow pace make this song deceptively simple, but the lyrics are full of imagery.
Exception to the Rule could be subtitled "The Pessimist Puts On Rose-Colored Glasses" ... and the lyrics are classic Dwight, tight and complex with internal rhyming. Very nice keyboard bit in the middle.
The title track, Population Me, rendered me speechless for awhile and I think it may be one of the best things Dwight has ever done in the heartbreak genre. With a hard-edged voice, he gives us the bleak view of newly departed love from very bitter eyes - a man trying to come to grips with loss and perhaps his own part in it. And the musical construction is a marvel: After a spare start, layers of instruments are added to the first chorus, complete with a tuba that recalls a New Orleans funeral band. It peels back to banjo only, then adds a single drum and a muted, sarcastic, mocking trumpet. The second chorus builds to a new peak and then slowly the song deconstructs as it wanders off, shaking its head in regret.
Staying Up Late Thinking About It has a much more cheerful sound that belies the topic: the futility of trying to stop thinking about person you've lost when their absence makes them painfully present in everything around you.
Trains and Boats and Planes gives us yet a third distinct singing voice in a hillbillied up version of an old song that I remember as sad and atmospheric. The fiddle makes a nice appearance, at times sounding like a train whistle, and knits together the song's conclusion with the mandolin and banjo.
If Teardrops Were Diamonds is spare, melancholy and elegant. Not really a duet, Dwight and Willie emphasize the theme of loss and separation by trading vocal lines instead of actually singing together. The lyrics are lovely: "If heartaches were rubies... you might begin to understand the price love has to pay for being wrong."
I'd Avoid Me Too starts off with a rising vocal line that sounds like Elvis in the Sun Records days. Though the words are humorously self-deprecating and hold real emotion at arm's length, the song is grounded in a roadhouse hipshaking rhythm, with the baritone guitar bending notes deliciously.
Back of Your Hand, written by Greg Lee Henry, may be most familiar since it's been shown on music TV. With its graceful swelling strings and pleading lyrics, it's an uncharacteristically direct address to a lover who has turned away from love. Those who have heard only this song as a single may be surprised by the stylistic range this album covers, but I hope they will stick with it.
Bottom line: Dwight remains an enormously talented and highly original artist with a passion for music that rings true on every cut.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Dwight gem July 9, 2003
Format:Audio CD
Dwight Yoakam has strung together one of the most successful and interesting careers in music, and his latest release is another cog in the Yoakam ecclectic, "cosmic cowboy" country machine. He continues to push the creative envelop, mixing his rich and varied vocals with a incredibly skilled band.

The album clocks in at just over 30 minutes, brief by today's standards, but more artists should take note of this move. Critics will say he needed more, but I disagree. He keeps the music moving and weaving, ending the album at the right time before the listener starts looking for the skip button on the CD player. Too many artists stock an album with 12 or 14 tracks, usually four of which are throwaways. Not the case with "Population Me". From the opening "The Late Great Golden State" which has a nod to the sound of the Eagles to the powerful and standout track "The Back of Your Hand", this album works like a continuous song, and when its over, you feel like you have to listen to it again it went by so quick. The title track is a great nod to the traditional country sound of yesteryear, but with a Yoakam twist and musical building that compels the listener to hit repeat. The duet with Willie Nelson is classic, and the other songs all fulfill the meandering and varied sound of this album.

The album doesn't have a "bad" song, and in fact, all are quite strong and interesting. Yoakam's vocals are simply exquisite, and with the strong musicianship with them, the sound is a satisfying country and western romp that is seriously lacking in today's C&W radio format. From powerful ballads, tear-in-your-beer diatribes, to upbeat driving melodies, this album delivers--and in classic Dwight Yoakam fashion. To anybody who loves Dwight already, you will not be disappointed. To anybody looking for a new country album with a variety of sounds and themes, get "Population Me". It far outclasses anything on the country dial today.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars New Label, New Album, Same Terrific Sound January 25, 2004
Format:Audio CD
This may be a new label for Dwight Yoakam, but his signature sound is still in place. And that's just fine. In the opening track, Yoakam sings, "I ain't old, I'm just out of date." I beg to differ. He might be getting old (47 as of this writing), but his brand of honest country will never be out of date. With Timothy B. Schmit lending background vocals on "The Late Great Golden State," and the banjo chiming in the background, this song is reminiscent of Poco/Eagles. Another non-original is the seemingly odd choice, "Trains and Boats and Planes" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. But with the fiddles and Pete Anderson adding his mandolin flourishes along with Earl Scruggs' guest appearance on banjo, this could be a huge country hit. [Oh, yeah, I forgot...country radio doesn't like fiddles and mandolins and especially banjos.] The other non-original is the stark "The Back of Your Hand," used to close the album.

The other seven tracks are all Yoakam originals. Standouts include the upbeat "No Such Thing," the toe-tapping "An Exception to the Rule," the heartache of "I'd Avoid Me Too" and "If Teardrops Were Diamonds," a gorgeous duet with Willie Nelson, puncuated with Gary Morse's weeping pedal steel.

If there is any criticism to be leveled at Yoakam's debut release for Audium Records (after more than a dozen albums for Reprise), it's the brevity of the album. At ten songs and just under 32 minues, it is short. But you can't argue with the quality. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
I anticipated the arrival of this cd and when it came I immediately added all the songs to my ipod. The more I listen the more I like it. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Donamarie Groenhoff
2.0 out of 5 stars dissatisfied
CD was in rough shape. looks like it recieved poor care, case looked old and decreppid
had to clean CD. Read more
Published 3 months ago by john
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good CD
I heard 3 Pears, loved it...realized I'd missed the last few Dwight CDs, since Gone actually.
Have played catch-up, very happy.
Published 4 months ago by Pete Vredenburgh
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Work, One of the Best Country Albums of 03
One of my personal favorites from 03, and one of the best Dwight albums. He does tear-in-my-beer country better than nearly anyone. Read more
Published on May 29, 2009 by Pennsyltucky
4.0 out of 5 stars One and Only
One of a kind stage presence, screenwriter, director, actor, and one of the most unique and versatile voices in the business. Read more
Published on September 6, 2008 by thestaxman
5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!
I've been a Dwight fan since I was 9-years-old and heard Honky-Tonk Man. So that's 21 years (you do the math) of this AMAZING and completely UNDERRATED musician. Read more
Published on September 5, 2007 by Jody Cheshire
5.0 out of 5 stars One of his best ...if not THE BEST
Such a great album from the incomparable Mr. Dwight Yoakam. "If Teardrops Were Diamonds" is especially beautiful.Please buy this and savour every note and twang.
Published on August 30, 2006 by B. Mc Causland
4.0 out of 5 stars Good album
In all honesty, this album is all over the place. Dwight cannot sing a bad song and by God, Dwight has never put out any bad music. Read more
Published on September 5, 2005 by Jess
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic album, few problems with the recording...
Firstly let's get the technical stuff out of the way. The recording level on the CD is way too high for most domestic and portable equipment. Read more
Published on July 1, 2005 by Glenn Richards
4.0 out of 5 stars Listeners Won't Be Disappointed
This CD, released on his own label is loaded with Dwight's traditional broken hearted love ballads, lots of country twang, and guitar. Read more
Published on January 8, 2005 by M. E. Wood
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