As a songwriter, I
try to articulate
that Brighter Days
are up ahead,” says Dwight
Yoakam, whose 21st studio
album joyfully reflects where
he’s been since the 2015 release
of Second Hand Heart, his
last album of originals. The
aptly titled Brighter Days
brims with songs of hope and
possibility, written during a
time of major change in his
personal life: As he puts it,
“’Life happens when you’re
busy making other plans,’ to
quote John Lennon. My world
changed so dramatically during
the pandemic. I had hope and
the future delivered to me in
the midst of one of the darker
moments in our country’s
history”: marriage to his partner
Emily Joyce and the birth of
their son, Dalton, in 2020.
Recorded with his longtime
band in six studios between
2021 and 2024, the exhilarating
Brighter Days shows that
Yoakam’s distinctive, supple
vocals are just as powerful
today as on his 1986 debut LP.