3 Pears
| 3 Pears | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Dwight Yoakam | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 45:13 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Nashville | |||
| Producer |
Dwight Yoakam Beck Hansen | |||
| Dwight Yoakam chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| American Songwriter |  [2] |
| Country Weekly | [3] |
| Roughstock | [4] |
| Twang Nation | [5] |
3 Pears is the eighteenth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released on September 18, 2012 via Warner Bros. Records.
The album, which includes collaborations with Beck, Kid Rock, and Ashley Monroe of Pistol Annies, has been one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of Yoakam's career. 3 Pears peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming Yoakam's highest position on the general music chart. By the end of 2012, 3 Pears had appeared on more critic's annual "Best Of" lists than any other album in the country music genre.
The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 18, and on the Top Country Albums chart at No. 3, selling 19,000 copies in its first week.[6] As of April 2015, the album has sold 101,000 copies in the U.S.[7]
3 Pears reached No. 1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012,[8] and it broke the 2012 record for most weeks at No. 1 on Americana Radio.[9]
Rolling Stone named the song "A Heart Like Mine" the 39th best song of 2012.[10]
Track listing
All tracks written by Dwight Yoakam except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take Hold of My Hand" | Yoakam, Robert Ritchie | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Waterfall" | 3:37 | |
| 3. | "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke" | Max Fidler, Joe Maphis, Rose Lee Maphis | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Trying" | 3:10 | |
| 5. | "Nothing but Love" | 3:04 | |
| 6. | "It's Never Alright" | Yoakam, Ashley Monroe | 4:09 |
| 7. | "A Heart Like Mine" | 3:58 | |
| 8. | "Long Way to Go" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Missing Heart" | 4:34 | |
| 10. | "3 Pears" | 2:46 | |
| 11. | "Rock It All Away" | 4:20 | |
| 12. | "Long Way to Go" (reprise) | 4:34 |
Personnel
- Rick "The" Baptist – trumpets (6)
- Charlie Bisharat – violin (6)
- David Campbell – string arrangements (6), brass arrangements (6), conducting (6)
- Jonathan Clark – background vocals (1, 3, 5-9, 11), bass guitar (2, 3, 4, 11)
- Martin Cooke – tambourine (4)
- Marc DeSisto – handclaps (10)
- Jason Falkner – bass guitar (9), electric guitar (9)
- Chris Gray – trumpets (6)
- Beck Hansen – handclaps (7)
- Doyle Hargraves – handclaps (10)
- Alan Kaplan – trombone (6)
- Suzie Katayama – cellos (6)
- Darrin McCann – viola (6)
- Mitch Marine – drums (1-6, 8, 10, 11)
- Cole Marsden – bass guitars (7)
- Joe Meyer – French horn (6)
- Kevin Mills – tambourine (1)
- Raul Mischief – handclaps (7)
- "Good" Grief Neill – bass guitars (7)
- Eddie "Scarlito" Perez – lead guitar (3, 6, 11), background vocals (3)
- Steve Richards – cellos (6)
- Cassidy Turbin – drums (7), handclaps (7)
- Joey Waronker – drums (9), percussion (9)
- Brian Whelan – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11), bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 8, 10), organ (2, 4, 6, 8, 11), piano (2, 3, 6, 12), steel guitar (1, 3, 9), harmonium (1), Wurlitzer (5), keyboards (10), tambourine (10), handclaps (10), slide guitar (11)
- Dwight Yoakam – lead vocals, electric guitar (1-5, 7, 8, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 6-9, 11), tambourine (4, 5), background vocals (11)
Chart performance
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Country Albums Chart[11] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 18 |
| US Billboard Top Country Albums[12] | 3 |
Critical reception
A thrilling, unqualified success…fans rightly rejoiced this invigorating return to form for one of country music’s finest songwriters. - American Songwriter
Yoakam's first release in seven years is a smashing return...3 Pears mingles honky-tonk, rock, pop (The Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody") and even two cuts co-produced by Beck with great, adventurous warmth. - Entertainment Weekly
(3 Pears) has got hard shuffles, trebly guitars, steel-guitar solos, strong chorus hooks. It locates some measure of cool within old obsessions...but he doesn't want to be contained. The voices are loud, the guitars are louder. - New York Times
(A Heart Like Mine) hits you like a linebacker ... the country pioneer has continued to explore soul, folk, pop and rock to further define his Americana spirit. - Rolling Stone
(Dwight Yoakam is)...one of the most consistently interesting country music visionaries of his time ...the singer-songwriter blends innovation and traditionalism on "3 Pears" in ways no other country artist does. - Associated Press
Dwight Yoakam’s critically acclaimed new album, 3 Pears, is the most celebrated album on the Americana Chart this year. - Roughstock
This gorgeous return to form plays up another side of Yoakam. His tenderness and sense of play shine through on 3 Pears...Yoakam roams right back into his own inimitable style and makes it brand-new again. - NPR
Yoakam has a winner with 3 Pears, a dispatch from a genre-blurred wonderland, and as satisfying an album as has come down the pike thus far in 2012. - DFW
I'll name my favorite country album of the year: Dwight Yoakam's "3 Pears", which is not just a return to form for the honky-tonk singer, but also one of the most consistently pleasurable albums by anyone this year. - NPR
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "3 Pears review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ↑ Horowitz, Hal (September 14, 2012). "Dwight Yoakam: Three Pears". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ↑ Hudak, Joseph (September 18, 2012). "3 Pears by Dwight Yoakam". Country Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ↑ Bjorke, Matt (September 17, 2012). "Album Review: Dwight Yoakam - 3 Pears". Roughstock. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ↑ Lane, Baron (October 19, 2012). "3 Pears review". Twang Nation. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ↑ James Montgomery (September 26, 2012). "Pink Outguns Kanye West, Killers For First #1 Billboard Debut". MTV.
- ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Americana Radio Chart For Week Of Monday, October 29". October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.warnermusicnashville.com/news/dwight-yoakams-3-pears-is-no1-americana-album-for-fifth-week-in-a-row
- ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-songs-of-2012-20121205/dwight-yoakam-a-heart-like-mine-19691231
- ↑ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/chart/country-albums/329
- 1 2 "Chart listing for 3 Pears". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
External links
"Bob Dylan Holds Top Selling Album by a Veteran Artists: Dwight Yoakam Scores Career Best". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
Jones, Preston. "perfect "Pears" from country-rock master Dwight Yoakam". Retrieved 18 September 2012.
"Albums: Sept. 14-21, 2012". Entertainment Weekly. September 7, 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
Pareles, Jon (September 17, 2012). "Albums from Pink, Dwight Yoakam, and Aimee Mann". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
Bracy, Timothy (September 17, 2012). "Dwight Yoakam, "3 Pears" album review". 17 September 2012.
McCall, Michael. "Yoakam shows how it's done on 3 Pears". Retrieved 17 September 2012.
Various, Authors. "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2012". Retrieved 4 December 2012.
Tucker, Ken. "Dwight Yoakam: Wear and Wary on 3 Pears". Retrieved 19 September 2012.