3 Pears

3 Pears
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

Dwight Sings Buck
(2007)		 3 Pears
(2012)		 21st Century Hits: Best of 2000–2012
(2013)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
American Songwriter [2]
Country Weekly [3]
Roughstock [4]
Twang Nation [5]

3 Pears is an 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.

As of March 31, 2013, the album has sold 83,500 copies in the U.S.[6]

3 Pears reached No. 1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012.[7]

Rolling Stone named the song "A Heart Like Mine" the 39th best song of 2012.[8]

3 Pears broke the 2012 record for most weeks at #1 on Americana Radio.[9]


Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dwight Yoakam except where noted. 

No. TitleWriter(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

Chart performance

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Country Albums Chart[10] 2
US Billboard 200[11] 18
US Billboard Top Country Albums[11] 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

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "3 Pears review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Horowitz, Hal (September 14, 2012). "Dwight Yoakam: Three Pears". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  3. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (September 18, 2012). "3 Pears by Dwight Yoakam". Country Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (September 17, 2012). "Album Review: Dwight Yoakam - 3 Pears". Roughstock. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ Lane, Baron (October 19, 2012). "3 Pears review". Twang Nation. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (October 10, 2012). "Country Album Chart News For October 10, 2012: Little Big Town #1 for a Month; Jerrod Niemann & Blake Shelton Debut". Roughstock. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Americana Radio Chart For Week Of Monday, October 29". October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-songs-of-2012-20121205/dwight-yoakam-a-heart-like-mine-19691231
  9. ↑ http://www.warnermusicnashville.com/news/dwight-yoakams-3-pears-is-no1-americana-album-for-fifth-week-in-a-row
  10. ↑ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/chart/country-albums/329
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "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.