The Return of Wayne Douglas

Doug Sahm got his start in country music, so it's fitting that he returned to the form for his final album. Recorded the summer before Doug’s death in November 1999, The Return of Wayne Douglas is an openhearted Texas country album. No gimmicks, no strain: just Sahm revisiting songs from his past and imbuing them with long-earned wisdom. Sahm sings as someone who's seen and heard something that brought him to a place of bittersweet calm, and he imparts that wisdom through his favorite songs. The only covers here are Bob Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” and Hank Williams’ “They’ll Never Take Her Love from Me”—both timeless and personally significant to Sahm. “Dallas Alice” and “Yesterday Got in the Way” were written when the artist was in his 20s, but rather than try to restage his youth, he reinvests his old works with the ragged grace of a wiser man. The album is bookended by two of Sahm’s most essential performances. “Beautiful Texas Sunshine” and “Texas Me” are dedications to the place where Sahm’s heart belonged.