Turn It Up

I gotta tell ya, it's a refreshing kick in the pants to hear a different slant behind the boards of Dwight Yoakam's Blame The Vain. What?...What's that?...Well of course I know it was released four years ago! Anyway, I'm not taking anything away from Pete Anderson, after all, he's had as much say in Mr. Yoakam's DNA as anybody. Going as far back as their early 80's gigs with Los Lobos, X and The Blasters.
Not only is there new production scenery, but the GUITARS, holy crap, theres some new giddy-up
right there mister. And again, not to poo poo Pete, but this guy could sear a hole through a bridge girder.
We saw the touring band at a casino in Mt. Pleasant and even though the crowd was a bit subdued, the band was Marine Corps. tight and butt rockin'.
Still present were long time stalwart bottom thumper: Taras Prodaniuk, ivory tickler: Skip Edwards, mandolin/fiddler: Scott Joss and looks like full-timer on drums: Mitch Marine.
DY cranks it up early with the title track, Blame The Vain, as a mid-tempo, rowdy line dancer's dream. Intentional Heartache leads in as a 60's, bongo charged, Bakersfield rave-up. Does It Show, mournful, vintage, straight up honky tonk. Now Three Good Reasons is just a rockin shuffle thats got that chunky, chuggin, I ain't bashful rythym guitar mixed up front where it ought to be and if your butt don't bounce to this...well. I'll Pretend is another nod to Buck. And She'll Remember, yeah at first listen sounds a bit out of context with the heavy synth and toms, but really, its kinda cool that he felt comfortable tossing in some comedic acting chops, which is, if you think about it, pretty un-Dwight.
Since then, I haven't seen the guy smile and laugh as much as the last time I saw him hawking his own brand of breakfast patties at the local Meijer.

Photo of Dwight Yoakam and new gunslinger Keith Gattis on a Vox AC30 maybe?
Photo from voxamps.com