Introduction:
This Time is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released by Reprise Records on March 23, 1993. Three of its tracks barely missed the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, each peaking at #2: “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”, “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” and “Fast as You”, the latter being his last Top 10 single. Two other tracks also rose into the charts: “Try Not to Look So Pretty” at #14 and “Pocket of a Clown” at #22. The album itself peaked at #4 on the Top Country Albums chart. Yoakam wrote or co-wrote all except for one of the tracks on this album.
This Time is a significant departure from Yoakam’s earlier work. While still rooted in country, the album sees him branching out far beyond the honky-tonk sound of his early albums. With production help from Dusty Wakeman, longtime producer and guitarist Pete Anderson was able to add depth and dimension to an already full sound, where the echoes of early rock and soul entwine the honky tonk tempos and instruments and become something wholly other. Anderson later stated the LP was an attempt to fulfill the artistic mission started with the previous album If There Was a Way and create a distinct musical identity: “I wanted to get to a point where we made Dwight Yoakam music.”
The album’s title track, “This Time,” is a mid-tempo ballad about a man who has been hurt in love before but is willing to take a chance on love again. The song’s lyrics are both hopeful and realistic, and Yoakam’s vocals are full of emotion. The song was released as the album’s lead single and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The album also includes several other standout tracks, including the up-tempo “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” the ballad “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” and the rock-infused “Fast as You.” “This Time” was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to solidify Yoakam’s reputation as one of the most innovative and talented country music artists of his generation. The album has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA, and it is considered by many to be Yoakam’s masterpiece.