Just when you think have Dwight Yoakam pegged, he goes and throws you a curve ball. Well, as long as the curve ball is as good as his newest CD is, long-time fans have nothing to complain about. This CD is labeled as a soundtrack and bears the same name as his recent Western film, although only two of the tracks on the CD are actually on the film's soundtrack. These are the first and last tracks, both entitled Words, with the second a jazzy instrumental version of the first, a gentle, elegaic tune. The remaining songs are, as the CD's cover note states, "inspired by" the film's themes of life, death, and redemption. These themes represent new ground for Yoakam, whose music tends to focus on the tribulations of love. The CD also includes Yoakam's stunning interpretations of gospel-inspired country, demonstrating that, some fifteen years into his recording career, Yoakam maintains the capacity to expand his musical horizons and surprise -- and yes, delight -- his fans.

The harder-rocking country tracks on the CD are excellent and allow a certain Guitar God by the name of Pete Anderson several glorious moments. This is exactly what any fan of Yoakam would expect, especially when his co-writers include Mick Jagger (that old honky-tonk guy) and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Especially delightful are Somewhere and First Thing Smokin' -- listen for Yoakam to momentarily verve off into an early Beatles hit in the middle of this track. But what really makes this album stand out are the spirituals, both traditional tunes and those written by Yoakam himself. One of them is The Darkest Hour (Is Just Before the Dawn). Yoakam is performing this song on his current tour, and the song's lyrics have gained great timeliness in light of the great national tragedy of September 11th. Bekka Bramlett lends superb support on Who At the Door Is Standing, a great upbeat tune which comes across as the kind of hillbilly gospel that Yoakam might have heard in an Appalachian church as a child.

But perhaps the best track on the album is It Is Well With My Soul. Sung with only a piano accompaniment, It Is Well With My Soul has to be one of Yoakam's finest performances. In it, he bares a part of his personality, his personal spirituality, which has previously remained mostly private, in a virtuoso, soaring performance. Yoakam has superior vocal abilities, with his effortless phrasing and distinctive, silvery tone, but here he simply outdoes himself. He is sometimes criticized for an aloof, standoffish presence on the stage, but in this performance, he communicates with passion. The beauty of it is that he manages to do that with the simplest of musical arrangements. That is real genius.

that most of the "country music lovers" out there won't hear a single note of this gem. This is country at it's absolute best. A crossroads of traditional country, Americana, old-time gospel, southern-fried rock, blues, inspirational and good old honky- tonkin'......this album has all of those. It will soothe your soul and take your breath away.

Yes, it is a companion album to the movie, but it's not necessary to see the film to get a real, honest feel of the music on this record; which is kind of unusual in this day of CMT/MTV and completely ironic, it being a movie soundtrack and all..... You don't need visuals to "get" this stuff.

If you are a country music fan, you know this music. You know it in your bones. It's from the country radio stations of the 1960's, the rock music of the 1970's, the torch songs of the 50's, the simple tunes from the mountain tops of the Smokies to those rowdy, cayenne-flavored bar stages of Texas and out west to the OK Corral, with a healthy dose of gathering at the river baptism thrown in.....like I said, it's a crying shame that country music listeners will never hear this beauty. Not without a television or magazine or celebrity to tell them they need to be listening to it.... I've tried harassing my local dj's, only to be told "It's not marketing responsive"! whatever that means.......

I suggest you buy a copy for yourself, then..... well, it's going out to as many of my fellow music lovers as I can afford to give it to, this Christmas. My part in spreading the gospel.....

This isn't really a soundtrack (only 2 tracks are on the film)- it's another Dwight album with bits of movie dialogue spliced between the songs - which is interesting for a while but can be programmed on your cd player to just play the music tracks, which I find turns it into a more enjoyable album.I can't say that I take to Bekka Bramlett's over the top vocals on "Who At The Door Is Standing" & "The First Thing Smokin'", but there is still much to like here: "Words", the opening track, "Tears For Two", "The Darkest Hour", wonderful traditional gospel, "What's Left Of Me", a great co-write with Mick Jagger, "Somewhere", "The Last Surrender", new gospel by Dwight, and the Allman Brothers styled "No Future In Sight". These tracks are as good as anything Dwight has ever released and that's enough to make this a must in my book!

I'm not really in to "cowboy" movies and purchased this album more or less to try to complete my collection of Dwight Yoakam's body of work. This album is so very different and most interesting. Now I really wish I could obtain a DVD of the movie because this companion album of the soundtrack written by Mr Yoakam, who also appears in the film whets the appetite for more. I always viewed Dwight Yoakam as a very talented young man who put the COUNTRY back into country music when it seemed to be losing its way and gained deserved fame & fortune as a Country Music Star. He is so much more and this album shines on another facet of his talent. I guess this is why he is still shining bright at 53. Apart from all this, he really does have a very good voice!

fine music.

First let me say that 'Words', selections which begin and end this CD, the end being a sort of jazzy rendention are the two best tracks on the CD. As I said in my review of the film, in addition to this 'companion' soundtrack, I would have loved to additionally own the 'actual' soundtrack. Some may have found it monotonous, while I myself found it mesmerizing. That soundtrack can be isolated on the DVD and one could record it on tape for their own listening pleasure, but I digress....

This companion soundtrack contains a variety of musical genres. I particularly enjoyed 'Who At The Door Is Standing' and 'What's Left Of Me' and you can't get any more diverse than that.

The between-track dialogue is enjoyment to me. Perhaps because it reminds me of the film, which is one of my favorites.

Anyone who loves Dwight Yoakam, his music, and his band will love the divergence and quality of this CD and will want to have it in their collection.