Will Sing For Food-The Songs of Dwight Yoakam (Little Dog, 1998)

Dwight Yoakam gets the tribute treatment, but "Will Sing..." is a mixed effort that has its heart filled with warmth and one of its ears clogged with being derivative. The versions on the first half of this disc pale in comparison to the originals, while the latter half crackles with innovation. Highlights include Bonnie Bramlett-Sheridan's bluesy take on "What I Don't Know" and Scott Joss' fiddle-laced version of "Johnson's Love." When the artists try to make the songs their own, they by and large succeed. When they simply try to ape Yoakam and Anderson, stick with the original.