Brighter Days (Via/Thirty Tigers, 2025)

For his first album of original music since 2016, Dwight Yoakam does exactly nothing different, and thank goodness for that. One of country music's most consistent stylists, Yoakam's sound has always been a nod to the Bakersfield of Buck Owens, hardcore honky-tonk played by a swinging band, and he's not about to change this far into his career, it seems.

Analyzing his albums, then, boils down to which songs hit the spot best; they will all fill you up but some just taste better than others. Here, they've front loaded some good stuff, from the uptempo "Wide Open Heart" to the travelogue of "Bound Away," which is part gospel hymn, part pedal steel-driven country.

Like all country acts, Yoakam relies on many writers and co-writers for his material, with Jeffrey Steele getting the bulk of the credits this time around; some of the best tracks are simple tunes credited to Yoakam, such as "Can't Be Wrong," which echoes one of his earliest hits, "Honkytonk Man," in rhythm and attitude.

"I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye" might be considered the one allowance to modern sensibilities, or popularity at least, with a cameo vocal from Post Malone, but it's as purely country as anything else on the album. Maybe the label was hoping having Post's name on it would entice some new listeners, which wouldn't be a bad thing at all, as they'd get to enjoy one of the masters of modern country music, still at the top of his game.

By George Hauenstein
Believe it or not, Dwight Yoakam is almost 70 years old. Yikes, but 'tis true. His first major label release, "Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc," hit the scene in the mid-1980's. He made quite a splash on the country music scene back then, quickly gaining radio airplay and branching off into movies. Very quickly, he became the king of the southern California, post-Buck Owens, country-rock sound. He still wears that crown today.

His music and style really hasn't changed that much over the years, yet he is always able to keep things fresh, but with a throwback/retro sound. "Brighter Days" is a great example of this.

Most of what we hear here is vintage Yoakam, and it's very hard to find much to dislike. The album opens with "Wide Open Heart," "I'll Pay The Price," with its Bakersfield-Beat sounding, pedal steel, to the rockabilly-esque "Can't Be Wrong," and the tunes have all the ingredients that fans love: great lead guitar, tight harmonies, rootsy-fiddle, and, of course, Yoakam's vocals which sound much like they did on his earliest records.

Two of the most notable tunes are perhaps the best ones here. Yoakam's duet with rapper/country singer, Post-Malone, '"I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang, Bang, Boom, Boom" more than belongs. Malone fits right in and doesn't stretch the boundries of the Yoakam sound. It's a very fun tune. "I Spell Love,' (L-O-V-You)" is cute and very moving and sincere.

Though mostly original Yoakam-tunes(or co-written), he turns in very enjoyable versions of The Byrds' "Time Between" and an up-tempo rendition of the Carter Family classic, "Keep on the Sunny Side." Each has the unmistakable Yoakam twang, which makes them anything than just straight covers.

Dwight Yoakam is a national treasure. "Brighter Days" is one of his best.