Dwight Yoakam first emerged in the mid-80s as a country music traditionalist with roots in the no-frills Bakersfield sound first popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard in the 1960s. He duetted with Owens for the 1988 number one country hit “Streets of Bakersfield,” and after Owens passed in 2006, Yoakam recorded this tribute to his hero. Dwight Sings Buck is everything one could expect from Yoakam. It’s a smartly chosen collection of Owens’ finest tunes played in the same sturdy bare bones style popularized by Owens’ backing group, the Buckaroos, without sounding slavishly retro or by-the-numbers. Yoakam’s a top shelf singer and his timing, inflections and genuine love for the material make him the perfect candidate to pull off a re-introduction of Owens’ catalog. From “Act Naturally” and “Under Your Spell Again” to “Close Up the Honky Tonks” to “Together Again,” Yoakam locates each song’s core energy and emotion and lets fly. Fans of traditional country need to add this to their collection.