I remember in the very early 1990s or possibly right at the end of the late 80s – might even have been New Year’s Eve programming – seeing a video clip from Dwight Yoakam and I thought it was cool. The rest of the family did not. They are not country music fans. At all. And that coloured my early music listening. No country music at all. All country was considered “Country ‘n’ Western”; was considered the music that the grandparents listened to, was naff, not cool, not worthy. But I remembered the name Dwight Yoakam and though it was a few years before I got into any of his music – and mostly the covers and compilation albums – I always wanted to like him. And I did. But there’s a lot of his stuff I haven’t heard. So here, with this, his third album – Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room – I might have eventually got to it but the challenge is the enabler. And I’m pleased to now have this in my collection. A lean, immaculate collection of top-quality songs from a class act.
I don’t think the family members – mum, dad, my brother – have ever really let country music into their life.
They’re missing out.