Customer Reviews

Population Me

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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

As usual Dwight Yoakam shines in his latest offering. And as usual, don't expect country music radio stations to give him a tenth of the air time he deserves. With a few exceptions, country radio only plays songs filled with cliches and simple-minded ideas. "The Back of Your Hand" has done well commercially so far, having just hit #1 on the video countdown. An argument can be made that it is the cd's best song. However, the brilliance of the title track "Population Me" is undeniable. The song is a wonderful compilation of great lyrics, an assortment of instruments, and a tone that stays with the listener long after it ends. My son says it's "like a love song you'd here in a cowboy ghosttown movie." My two other favorites on the cd are "Fair to Midland" and the duet with Willie Nelson, "If Teardrops Were Diamonds." I hesitate to mention only four songs from the cd, since every song is worthy of praise. So many country cds today run together with songs that all sound alike. It's a pleasure to have an artist like Dwight Yoakam around who experiments with different genres. Loyal Dwight Yoakam fans know that he is the most consistent, talented country music artist of the past twenty years.

It's so great to know that in a world of CMT cookie-cutter country wannabees that DY is still out there doing it the way it was meant to be. This latest album is stripped down, bare bones Yoakam and it's just about as good as anything he's ever done (it's hard for me to decide since This Time and Tomorrow's Sounds Today are both classics).

"The Late Great Golden State" is an up-tempo, banjo twanger and is a perfect song to begin the album. "Fair to Midland" is more slowed down as is the great duet with Willie Nelson "If Teardrops Were Diamonds". Many of these songs are up tempo but with downbeat lyrics, including my personal favorite "No Such Thing". Don't expect to be cheered up while listening to it. "I'd Avoid Me Too" is another one (the title should pretty much give it away) but the most downbeat of the bunch is the title song and it does take some getting used to. I found it disjointed at first but eventually warmed up to it.

"Stayin' Up Late (Thinkin' About It)" is another fast one lacking cheery lyrics and "Trains and Boats and Planes" is excellent with some sweet mandolin. Moreover, this is yet another great album from DY (I'm amazed at how he keeps doing it) and if you're new to his music you can begin here and work your way back.

When so much country music sounds like over produced pop, Dwight's music is powerful enough to attract fans from diverse backgrounds. I personally spend most of my time listening to artist such as Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Mark Knopfler, etc. However, I've been a fan of Dwight's music since the first time I heard "Honky Tonk Man". For my money, "Population Me" is Dwight's best release since "This Time". After listening to this CD for two days, my favorite tracks are "An Exception To The Rule", "Population Me", and "If Teardrops Were Diamonds". If you are a Dwight Yoakam fan, get this CD!

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. Playing the CD in a friend's car resulted in horrific distortion, likewise on another friend's el-cheapo sound system. For this reason I've given this 4 stars rather than 5. On my own setup (somewhat over the top, both home and car) it sounds pretty good though, but please on future releases reduce the level by about 6dB, and don't apply so much compression! This is a criticism that's common to a lot of Dwight's recent recordings, and indeed a large number of modern recordings regardless of artist, label or genre. Producers take note - dynamic range good, compression bad! Quick fix though, rip the disc with Nero, then load the ripped WAV files into Nero Wave Editor, reduce the level by a few dB (between 4 and 6), then burn back to a blank CD-R. You'll then have a disc that works on anything without causing distortion in the line level section. Another note to record producers everywhere though - WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS, PLEASE TURN IT DOWN!!! (Apologies for caps, have to shout over the high recording level!)

Anyway, onto the music. I bought this after hearing the first track "Late Great Golden State" on satellite radio (here in the UK we're generally quite poorly served for country music, unfortunately). This is one of the better tracks, probably my third favourite on the album.

Second favourite (close run thing though) would be the closing track "The Back Of Your Hand". Not what I'd have thought of as Dwight's normal style, but very good nonetheless.

But my favourite has to be the second track "No Such Thing". Lyrics aside, the interplay between Dwight's vocals and Gary Morse's pedal steel is just amazing, and sums up everything that's so good about the traditional 4-beat country shuffle. (On a more personal note, I'd just broken up with someone after nearly 5 years, and the lyrics kind of echoed what I was feeling... "Where we're concerned there was no such thing as love". But even without this I still love the song.)

In short, provided you've got a decent sound system (or the distortion doesn't bother you), buy this, it's musically brilliant.

This is another great CD filled with great music. Dwight's twang and great spirit with help from Pete Anderson, Skip Edwards, Scott Joss, Gary Morse,and Bob Glaub. From the first song "The Late Great Golden State" to "The Back Of Your Hand" and all the ones in between "No Such Thing" wonderful song that makes you want to dance, "Fair to Midland" about a man searching for his lost love , "An Exception To The Rule" a song you want to play over and over , "Population Me" a very deep song, "Stayin' Up Late [Thinkin about it]" also makes you want to dance, "Trains and Boats and Planes", "If Teardrops Were Diamonds" sung with Willie Nelson, "I'd Avoid Me Too" LOVE this one, "The Back Of Your Hand" a wonderful song that Dwight found while working on a movie set. A Wonderful CD. Every song on this CD has a spirit of it's own. I love!

I've been a long time fan of Dwight but this CD has entranced me! I bought it for "The Back of Your Hand" which I had seen on CMT videos but I just bought the CD tonight (I've been looking for it for weeks but had a hard time finding it) and I've listened to it 5 or 6 times in a row - really great - probably one of his best! BUY IT! I don't know why "The Back of Your Hand" is not being played on the radio but country fans / Dwight fans are missing something by this not getting radio airplay!

Oh, my god! I had to buy this before I went to see the man in person, on stage, live in my town. I couldn't very well go see him in concert without knowing his latest songs...I was hooked the minute I put it in the player. I love this album because it sounds so different. The title song is nothing short of amazing -- haunting, different and stuck in my head...I love it. He just keeps getting better. Dwight Yoakam is the best country artist out there...and great in concert! (Actually, ever since I saw him, I have played this and all the other albums of his I own, over and over -- I can't get enough!)