Search - Dwight Yoakam :: Tomorrow's Sounds Today

Another masterful outing for Yoakam

11/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dwight Yoakam's refusal to "dumb down" or commercialize his music for to meet the demands of country radio are evident on this CD. Each song is a near-perfect gem, wonderfully performed by Yoakam and his great band. The songs reflect and pay homage to various sub-genres of C&W music and individual past masters (Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Doug Sahm, etc.), while simultaneously carrying Yoakam's unique imprint and continuing his career-long exploration of the many emotions of love. If anything, the songwriting on this CD is more complex and multi-layered than on any other Yoakam album, and Dwight has rarely reached such poetic beauty as he displays in A World of Blue, Time Spent Missing You, and A Promise You Can't Keep. Whether giddy over the promises and pleasures of love, disillusioned about its permanence, embittered by its loss or unattainability, or resolved to pay its emotional price, Yoakam displays his versatility as a songwriter. And in the cover of the Cheap Trick track, I Want You To Want Me, Yoakam displays how he makes another's song his own, just as he did with last year's Crazy Little Thing Called Love. In terms of performance, listeners can only marvel at the beauty of Yoakam's voice and the great sound of his supporting band. Pete Anderson's consistently stunning guitar work is neatly balanced by Gary Morse's wonderful steel sound and Scott Joss's fiddle. Yoakam and his band effortlessly move from upbeat rocker to weepy honky-tonk lament. As was the case with Yoakam's This Time and Gone albums, I listened Tomorrow's Sounds Today thinking that next track could not get any better than the last, and discovered to my delight that I was wrong each time. This album is a masterpiece from beginning to end, and might even be Yoakam's best to date. One more note: a special treat on this album is the presence of Buck Owens. Always an influence on Yoakam's music, here he duets with Yoakam on the last two songs (including the gospel-influenced I Was There) and co-wrote with Yoakam the instant classic, The Sad Side of Town. Years from now, when the names of lesser artists are unknown, we will listen to these two great country musicians on this album, and marvel at their under-appreciated talents. Buy this album, you won't be disappointed."

"TOMORROW'S SOUNDS TODAY" - ESSENTIAL COUNTRY !

R.S. | Broulee, NSW Australia | 12/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dwight Yoakam is the shining light of Contemporary Country Music - a brilliant songwriter and hip honkytonker, with an amazing ability to put a new twist on a familiar style,with every release. On "Tomorrow's Sounds Today" that twist is the outstanding steel guitar playing by Gary Morse, right up front with Dwight & Pete on almost every track. We still get great fiddle (by Scott Joss & Don Reed) but it's the steel that makes this different. Pete Anderson's flawless production and guitar work deserve a 5 star mention too - after all he's an integral part of the Yoakam "sound".
Dwight has referenced many of his influences over the years (incl. Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Buck Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison and Ralph Stanley) and on this disc he brings Buck Owens into the studio for harmony on the Yoakam/Owens co-write, "The Sad Side Of Town" and two great duets: "Alright I'm Wrong" (Tex Mex style with accordion by Flaco Jimenez) and "I Was There", an Owens original.
More influences show up here on two standout tracks: Dwight tips his hat to Hank Williams on "The Heartaches Are Free", and there is a real Allman Brothers feel to "Free To Go".
Elsewhere we get a country version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me", and the other highlights:"Love Caught Up To Me", "What Do You Know About Love", "Time Spent Missing You", "A Promise You Can't Keep", "A Place To Cry", "Dreams Of Clay", "For Loves Sake", & "A World Of Blue" make this another superb album from Dwight.
"Tomorrow's Sounds Today" joins "A Long Way Home", "Gone", "This Time", If There Was A Way", "Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room", "Hillbilly Deluxe", and "Guitars, Cadillacs Etc." as Absolute 5 Star Essential Country!"

This is what country music is, and always should be.

K. Coleman | Phoenix, AZ United States | 11/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dwight Yoakam entered into a crysallis in his creative process within the last few years, and "Tomorrow's Sounds Today" is the emergence. He has spread wings made of pure sound to soar high above the cardboard-cutout sameness that has permeated country music within the last few years. While I have seen a number of reviewers say this is "yesterday's sounds now," or a "return to his roots," I believe that they have missed the point that Yoakam has made. The title is metaphor. These are not yesterday's sounds nor tomorrow's sounds nor even today's sounds. This is music for always. This music is not limited to the past--it is timeless and timely. This pure country outing is fresh and new, and it sparkles in its simple yet somehow impressively complex vision. Dwight's brilliant, swirling lyrics are woven into refreshingly country melodies, with sharp pedal steel by Gary Morse and toe-tapping fiddle by Scott Joss; Dwight's whiskey-and-sugar voice comes straight from the honky-tonks and bars to remind us that country music still does exist, that somewhere hearts are still being broken and still yearn for a sad country song. However, coming right down to brass tacks, Yoakam doesn't worry about commercial trends, and for that alone I'd recommend this album. If you have mourned the death of country music, buy this album, and buy it now. Country music isn't dead--the victim of Music Row survived and went into hiding. Rejoice."