Yoakam sizzles at House of Blues

Here are several reasons that Dwight Yoakam -- fresh from a Saturday appearance at the House of Blues -- is the coolest male artist you might conceivably hear on your basic "young country" radio station, barring the unlikely appearance of Steve Earle or Wayne Hancock:

He's got the voice. Yoakam's eager yodel is custom-made for the honky-tonk swing that he belts out. The vintage banner hanging behind him during the House of Blues set -- "Country Swingin' & Hillbilly Shufflin' Every Night" -- was a fine prop, but hardly necessary: The second that Yoakam opens his mouth, you know he's not from around these here parts. It's the voice of Hank Williams Sr., or Bob Wills -- pure hillbilly through and through. Garth Brooks couldn't sing Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man" as well if his life depended on it.

He's got the pelvis. Over the course of the set, Yoakam covered no fewer than three tunes made popular by Elvis: "Little Sister," "Mystery Train" and a fine solo acoustic version of "Suspicious Minds." He did the moves, too. You have to hand it to a 43-year-old who can wear trousers that tight and do the moves. If I were dating Bridget Fonda -- which Yoakam reportedly is -- I'd probably do the moves, too, even if it meant chafing.

His songs are exemplary. Dwight Yoakam has more than a few classics under his belt, from "Guitars, Cadillacs" to "Little Ways." They sit next to covers of Johnny Cash and Doc Pomus classics without sounding derivative or dated. In a few years, I can confidently predict, we'll be swimming in Yoakam covers. Will anyone be working over Randy Travis' catalog with half as much fervor?

He defies stereotype. Yoakam is his own cowpoke -- hat brim pulled low, vintage Western shirts, the aforementioned glued-on jeans. He defies the young country stereotype, even as much of his audience swims in it.

He's honest. Every song has a story. Yoakam tells it. Sometimes he rambles on a bit, but it's always good to see a performer show you what's behind the curtain.

He's fun. His sly cover of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" takes the English rock group's novelty hit full circle: Where Freddie Mercury goofed on the verses, Yoakam delivers them as ironclad gospel, and in doing so elevates them. He more or less makes the song sound like an original that Queen somehow reached forward in time and borrowed to have something fun to play during sound check. Yoakam squeezes all the irony from the song, and fills the gaps with top-down, four-on-the-floor swing. He milked it a bit in the House of Blues set -- one false ending too many -- but it still sizzled, and Yoakam sizzled along with it.

Good actor, too. His performance as Doyle Hargraves in Billy Bob Thornton's "Sling Blade" is one for the ages. Yoakam mentioned his film work during the House of Blues set but downplayed it against his day job, which he called a form of "sanctuary." As comfortable as Yoakam is with making music and touring, he makes his audience feel that much more comfortable, at home. And that part isn't acting at all -- that part is pure showmanship, the kind of performing genius that deserves a radio station all to itself.

archive