Blame The Vain



So I like Dwight Yoakam. Go figure.

I'm not a country music fan and the only time I listen to it is when Hannah is in the car. (And even then we don't listen long, she's got that teenage "surf the radio" thing going on and her musical tastes are best described as anything but classical <much to Ariel's chagrin.>)

I don't like the "old" country music he styles his music after, but there's always been something about his sound that drew me to it. I was quite surprsied to find out that my friend Mary, uptown resident, architect, and someone whom I've rarely seen in a pair of blue jeans is also a Dwight Yoakam fan. Mary joined me for my Dwight in Dallas night out a few weeks back.

Dwight's songs are the quintessential "she left me my life's not worth living anymore" and I think I'm pretty safe in saying (without a lot of research) that that's all he sings about. I can't think of one song he's ever sung with a slight hint of happiness in it.

The wounds must run deep to crank out sad song after sad pitiful song. I've wondered aloud from time to time if he shouldn't be going to counseling. (Was it Sharon Stone?! You'll need to read about 2/3 down the page for the dig on Dwight.)

So Dwight's new album is out, "Blame the Vain". More so than any of his recent work, the sound is fresh and vibrant with interesting intros, tempo changes, and ad-libbed endings. And, it seems that Mr. Yoakam, who wrote all the lyrics and music himself, also has a sense of humor. On the first listen through I found myself laughing out loud to the lyrics of "Three Reasons" and the intro to "She'll Remember." Overall, "Blame the Vain's" lyrics are clever and Dwight produces a sound that I love to take in.

I had a serendipitous moment a couple of days following Dwight's Dallas concert in May. I spotted Dwight Yoakam (minus the cowboy hat) and his band sitting at a table in the very back of Terilli's on lower Greenville. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to shake his hand and tell him I enjoyed the concert. His persona in that moment struck me as quite demure, rather opposite of the hard-charging, hurtin' cowboy publicly singing his guts out.

When I recounted the encounter to Hannah, she wanted to know if I had told him he needed counseling. I didn't. Maybe he's been going already. As much fun as he seemed to have on this CD, I'm already looking forward to the next.

Posted: Sat - July 30, 2005 at 09:16 AM          

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