Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (Expanded)

iTunes Review

“Electrified bluegrass,” Dwight Yoakam loosely dubbed the blend that would make his debut, Guitars Cadillacs Etc. Etc., one of the pivotal albums in country music history. In 1986, the genre was suffering a major lull in popularity; by year’s end, Yoakam would be a superstar and one of the young leaders heading back to the roots. For all the flash of Yoakam’s persona and hits such as the Johnny Horton chestnut “Honky Tonk Man,” the disc’s hats-off to old-school virtues didn’t stop there. “Miner’s Prayer” came from the L.A.-based singer’s early life in Kentucky, where his grandfather (the album’s dedicatee) had coalmined for 40 years. This deluxe edition precedes the original album itself with a set of 1981 demos that present Yoakam’s vision almost fully wrapped, not to mention brilliantly sung. A joyfully hard-hitting club set from March 1986, the original Guitars’ month of release, completes the package. It lives up to the “electrified bluegrass” tag with versions of Bill Monroe’s “Rocky Road Blues” and “Can’t You Hear Me Calling.”