1. I Sang Dixie
2. Doin' What I Did
3. This Time
4. The Distance Between You and Me
5. Heart That You Own
6. Thousand Miles from Nowhere
7. Near You
8. Johnson's Love
9. What I Don't Know
10. Takes a Lot to Rock You
11. If There Was a Way
12. Please, Please Baby
13. One Thousand Miles
14. Miner's Prayer
Amazon.com
For the first time, the singer gets separated from his songs, thus bringing Yoakam's considerable songwriting talents into clear focus. With Pete Anderson, Yoakam's longtime friend/producer/guitarist, in the executive-producer chair, the 14 songs maintain a steady quality, highlighted by standout turns from Rhonda Vincent, Sara Evans, Reckless Kelly, Pete Droge, and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Yoakam's songs show a knack for tackling traditional country-music territory. While most of the misery in these songs results from bad love, songs such as "I Sang Dixie" and "Miner's Prayer" show an empathy for other people's woes as well, thus making fitting bookends for this homeless-benefit release. Yoakam comes through the songwriter's litmus test--the tribute album--unscathed. --Marc Greilsamer
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Will Sing for Food -- The Songs of Dwight Yoakam
- Audio CD: 0 pages (1998-06-02)
- Publisher: Little Dog Records
- Label: Little Dog Records
- Studio: Little Dog Records
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 6 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #221438
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: If it ain't Dwight, it ain't right. 2007-09-05
Comment: So this is for a really good cause and there are some great artists featured on this CD; however, no one should sing Dwight Yoakam songs except for Dwight Yoakam. There's none of that soul, that sadness and longing, or that famous nasal twang of his in these songs. The one exception might be Tim O'Brien covering A Thousand Miles From Nowhere. I predict that if you're a big Dwight fan as I am, you're not going to like this CD.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs down 2007-04-05
Comment: All I can say is, no one can sing a Dwight song, but Dwight. Enough said...
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Help for the Homeless 2004-11-04
Comment: Indie label, Little Dog Records, is helping those less fortunate by the sales of Will Sing for Food - the Songs of Dwight Yoakam. The lyrics are pure Yoakam, and the musicians who donated their time and skills to the making of the album chose songs they felt an affinity for. Rhonda Vincent on I Sang Dixie; Jim Matt on Heart That You Own; Scott Joss on Johnson's Love; Bonnie Bramlett-Sheridan on What I Don't Know; Lonesome Strangers on Takes a Lot to Rock You; The Blazers on If There Was a Way - so much vocal talent and for such a worthy cause. I highly recommend this one.
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: The Songs of Dwight Yoakam-Will Sing For Food 2003-09-19
Comment: I was expecting to hear Dwight. I was disappointed in all the offerings except the one by Gillian Welch. He is the best singer of his songs. The CD liner gives no information on the supposed "Benefit for the Homeless". Let's just hope it happened, the homeless benefitted, and continue to benefit from sales of the CD.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Yoakam's songs stand tall 2001-06-04
Comment: The iconic quality of Yoakam's originals occasionally obscures the cover versions offered here. But a comparison to a song's best-known rendering is the burden any cover must shoulder. Hearing a treasured groove filtered through the artistry of a new interpretation can elevate the song and multiply its meaning, or it can leave you begging to hear the original.This collection offers many of the former, few of the latter, and wisely digs into Yoakam's albums for most of its repertoire. Rhonda Vincent's gospel-influenced "I Sang Dixie" adds a layer of dignity to a tale of a dying rebel, while David Ball strips down "This Time" and takes it to the honky-tonk for a sad two-step around the dance floor. Kim Richey and Mandy Barnett's superb vocals soar on the unusually structured meter of "Near You." Jim Matt, Tim O'Brien, Scott Joss, and Gillian Welch all make nice contributions. While there's no radical reinterpretations, this tribute successfully illuminates the craft that lies behind Yoakam's magnetic personality and singing.
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Will Sing for Food -- The Songs of Dwight Yoakam
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