Dwight Yoakam - If There Was a Way

By 1990, Dwight Yoakam was a fixture in country music, and well on his way to becoming a legend. "If There Was A Way" was his fifth album, and contained at least six chart hits, and featured the first in his long string of "any great rock song can be a great country song" covers, with an impressive rendition of the Canned Heat classic rocker, "Let's Work Together."

Dwight Yoakam came fully into his own with the release of the magnificent "If There Was A Way" in 1990. Packed with fourteen songs, this disc was a monumental undertaking, filled to the brim with songs that seamlessly piece together such hard- charging country-rock songs as "Takes A Lot To Rock You" and "Dangerous Man" with the pure honky-tonk tear-jerker "Sad, Sad Music" and "Since I Started Drinkin' Again." The songwriting team of Yoakam and Roger Miller was sheer genius, their styles merging magnificently to bring one of the best songs from the disc, the masterpiece "It Only Hurts When I Cry." It was a shame Miller passed away before they could join pens again.

With each new release Yoakam simply got better and better; it was unbelievable that he could continue to improve at his art after this disc, yet some of his greatest work came afterward. It's still hard to believe, listening to these old songs. The powerful "You're The One" still has amazing strength and conviction, and the mournful "The Heart That You Own" can still pull tears from stones.

Despite Yoakam's formidable talents as a songwriter, he chose four songs for this disc that didn't come from his pen, including hit "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" (written by Kostas whose name appears on three other songs here and Wayland Patton). Taken together with Yoakam's own work, it's a tremendous piece of work, and a magnificent slice from Yoakam's impressive catalog.

If There Was a Way
(Dwight Yoakam)

I was just standing
Alone in this room
Surrounded by memories
We stopped making too soon
I was just standing
I was just standing
Alone in this room
Alone in this room

I was just thinking
All to myself
How I still want you
And nobody else
I was just thinking
I was just thinking
All to myself
All to myself

In this darkness I move slowly
Always struggling to be free
But I still hear your voice
And everywhere I see the choice
That’s made such a fool of me

I was just wondering
If there was a way
To bring you back to me
Maybe things I could say
I was just wondering
I was just wondering
If there was a way


Track List:
1. Distance Between You and Me
2. Heart That You Own
3. Takes a Lot to Rock You
4. Nothing’s Changed Here
5. Sad, Sad Music
6. Since I Started Drinkin’ Again
7. If There Was a Way
8. Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose
9. It Only Hurts When I Cry
10. Send a Message to My Heart
11. I Don’t Need It Done
12. You’re the One
13. Dangerous Man
14. Let’s Work Together