Dwight Yoakam

In 1986, with Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., Dwight Yoakam resurrected the rocking sound of Bakersfield country that Buck Owens first popularized. That the sometime character actor’s most recent release is the 2007 tribute Dwight Sings Buck lets you know just how true to his mean, scrawny brand of honky-tonk Yoakam has stayed in the quarter century since. That he was able to score a country hit with Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” a dozen years ago shows just how flexible his purism can be—as can the fact that his next studio effort was recorded with the help of producer Joe Chiccarelli (who most recently put his stamp on The Strokes’ Angles) and will feature guest spots from Kid Rock and Beck.

Updated 04/18/2012