After long fight, DC wins right to a statue in the Capitol Building_美文

After long fight, DC wins right to a statue in the Capitol Building

Dwight Yoakam “3 Pears”

JUNE SIMMS: Country music lovers have been waiting five years for Dwight Yoakam to make a new album. That wait ended this week when Warner Brothers Records released “3 Pears.” The singer and songwriter told a reporter the album is, in his words, “a return to the seventeen year old version of me.” Christopher Cruise has more.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Dwight Yoakam covers a lot of musical territory. He had always honored country music traditions, but added the sharper edge of rock and roll. The songs he writes explore the human condition more deeply than most country pop. His audience is large and mixed as a result. He can count punk, country, pop and blues music lovers among his fans.

“3 Pears” is a perfect example of Dwight Yoakam’s inclusive style. He co-wrote one song with rapper Kid Rock. “Take Hold of My Hand” is about learning to trust love.

Yoakam spoke about that idea with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He said he believes in “that universal sense that somewhere in existence is the agape version of love. We share something in common with the fabric of the whole universe that connects us,” he said.

In “Take Hold of My Hand,” Yoakam sings: Take hold of my hand / And I'll do what I can / To make everything right / At least for tonight.

(MUSIC)

Dwight Yoakam also shares production credits on “3 Pears” with indie musician Beck. Yoakam told Billboard magazine that the two of them had crossed paths several times over the years. Yoakam decided to ask Beck to come listen to a few songs. Dwight Yoakam says none of the songs he played for the indie musician became the songs he produced. But he says Beck was helpful giving him direction for making “3 Pears.”