Dwight Yoakam Under the Covers [Digipak]

UNDER THE COVERS is a collection of songs originally recorded by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Sonny & Cher, Johnny Horton and others. It contains a hidden track, "T For Texas."

Personnel includes: Dwight Yoakam (vocals, acoustic guitar); Sheryl Crow (vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); Pete Anderson (electric, baritone & 12-string guitars, electric sitar); Tom Brumley (pedal steel, lap steel); Ralph Stanley (banjo, background vocals); Scott Joss (mandolin, fiddle); Tom Peterson, Bruce Eskovitz (flute, alto, tenor & baritone saxophones); Earl Lon Price (tenor saxophone); Greg Smith (baritone saxophone); Lee Thornburg, Chris Tedesco (trumpet); Eric Jorgensen, Nick Lane (trombone); Skip Edwards (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Charles Domanico (acoustic bass); Taras Prodaniuk (acoustic & electric basses); Jim Christie, Jeff Donovan (drums); Alex Neciosup-Acuna, Tempo (percussion); Ralph Forbes, Dusty Wakeman (drum programming); Tommy Funderburk, Beth Andersen, Anthony Crawford, The Lonesome Strangers (background vocals).

UNDER THE COVERS was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Country Album.

Personnel: Dwight Yoakam (vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); Pete Anderson (electric guitar, 12-string guitar, baritone guitar, electric sitar); Tom Brumley (lap steel guitar); Ralph Stanley (banjo); Scott Joss (mandolin, fiddle); Tom Peterson (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Bruce Escovitz (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Earl Lon Price (tenor saxophone); Greg Smith (baritone saxophone); Chris Tedesco , Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Nick Lane, Eric Jorgensen (trombone); Skip Edwards (Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Taras Prodaniuk (upright bass); Jim Christie (drums); Tempo (percussion); Beth Andersen, Anthony Crawford , Lonesome Strangers, Tommy Funderburk (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: David Leonard .

Recording information: Capitol Studios; Mad Dog Studios; Ocean Studios.

Photographer: Brad Bowman.

Arranger: Pete Anderson .

Yoakam takes a break from making Nashville safe for sophisticated songcraft, putting down his pen and letting his hair down on this album of songs made famous by other performers. Though many of Yoakam's choices were popularized by artists firmly ensconced in the baby boomer canon (The Beatles' "Things We Said Today," Van Morrison's "Here Comes The Night"); he ventures further afield on a couple of tracks, and the element of surprise works to his advantage.

Yoakam's reworking of the Clash's "Train In Vain" as a bluegrass lament is nothing short of inspired. Elsewhere, he dips deep into the Roger Miller catalog (never a bad idea) and comes up with "Playboy." Star-spotters will be entranced by his duet with Sheryl Crow on the Sonny & Cher chestnut "Baby Don't Go," while hardcore country enthusiasts will be more impressed by the hidden track at disc's end, a loving resurrection of Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas."