The big time (Dwight Yoakam) (LP 972 - 974)

Dwight Yoakam  Under The Covers (CD, Reprise Records, 1997) ***  

Dwight Yoakam  Population: Me (CD, Audium Records, 2003) *** 

Dwight Yoakam  Second Hand Heart (CD, Reprise Records, 2015) ****  

Genre: Country

Places I remember: The Warehouse, Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues

Gear costume: Train In Vain

Active compensatory factors: The covers album is interesting as he visits a lot of British pop bands like The Kinks (epic fail on that one as he tries a rat pack style lounge act), The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and more up to date - The Clash.

For my money he's better when doing countryish takes on material like Claudette, The Last Time, and Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues.

Population Me is his 13th studio album, and last with producer Pete Anderson (the split after 20 years wasn't a happy one). It's a good blend of songs with a broad approach to covers and a whole lot of originals. The covers are again my favs on this one - The Late Great Golden State and Trains And Boats And Planes.

Second Hand Heart is my final Dwight Yoakam album and it shows his powers were undiminished in 2015. It's another polished set of songs, more upbeat than Population Me, and something of a return to earlier form, but also a statement about how far he'd come. 

She is a good example - the sound on that one is bang up to date and a strong pop song, but a fair distance from where he started. But then, there are other songs on this one that could have come from his early period. I like the mix.

Where do they all belong? And that is that for Dwight in the collection. I'm not a completist for his albums so I doubt I'll be adding to the tally. His best work is early and on the Reprise label.