Fast As You - Dwight Yoakam

Fast As You - Dwight Yoakam

4:48

This Time, 1993

Written by Dwight Yoakam

I've always really liked Yoakam's rock sensibility, and on this track he definitely rocks, throwing in recognizable rockabilly and Elvis-era guitar licks. I often think of Yoakam's material as rock with a country voice.  The song is from the point of view of someone who has been the vulnerable and uncertain one in the relationship, and now warns that he in turn might become the one who leaves people hurt and heartbroken.  "You'll control me, oh, so boldly / Rule me till I'm free / The pain that shakes me finally makes me / Get up off of my knees."  It's a muscular blend of roots-rock and country, and a fiery declaration of defiant pride.

Streets Of Bakersfield - Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens

Streets Of Bakersfield - Dwight Yoakam

2:48

Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room, 1988

Written by Homer Joy, 1973

Yoakam got Buck Owens, who originally released this song, to do it with him as a duet.  It prominently features a Mexican accordion, giving it a bouncing, jaunty rhythm, belying the lyric which tells of a restless drifter looking for a brighter road, only to end up in jail.  "I've spent a thousand miles of thumbin' / Yes, I've worn blisters on my heels / Trying to find me something better." The song is an example of the Bakersfield sound, a country genre marked by rock and roll and honky-tonk influences, and its heavy use of electric instrumentation and backbeats. 

Gone (That'll Be Me) - Dwight Yoakam

Gone (That'll Be Me) - Dwight Yoakam

3:28

Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars..., 2016

Written by Dwight Yoakam, 1995

Dwight goes bluegrass!  I love the fast finger-picking showcased on this song.  I did not know that the album this song is on is a collection of previously released Yoakam tracks given the bluegrass treatment, so I can't compare this "Gone" to the 1995 version from Gone.  I just like it for what it is: a toe-tapping track performed by A-list players and with Yoakam's swooping hoot-n'-holler tenor.