DWIGHT YOAKAM Blame the Vain New West Records ****

It's amazing what a change of scenery can do for a man, or a woman for that matter. Dwight Yoakam has been off the boil for some time, living off a reputation built on classic albums of the likes of Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Hillbilly Deluxe and Buenos Noches from a Lonely Room, diverted by a sideline acting career and reduced to all too frequent compilations and lacklustre releases. But the singer/guitarist, whom Vanity Fair noted memorably, "strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament", marks his first release for new label New West with a return to vintage form.

From the opener, the steaming title track, Yoakam is on fire. "There's a lot of reckless joy on this album," he is quoted as saying. And he's not kidding. Try keeping your feet from moving to Three Good Reasons or the rolling twang of I'll Pretend, two tracks divided by the forlorn romance of Just Passin' Time. The cinematic intro to She'll Remember breaks the spell before he invokes the Bakersfield sound for I Wanna Love Again. And though the closing tracks show him running out of steam, Blame the Vain is an impressive and overdue statement. www.dwightyoakam.com