Dwight Yoakam, Second Hand Heart (Reprise/Via): Yoakam demonstrates his mastery not only of classic honky-tonk tropes but a myriad of other genres on this stirring album, which boasts a rockin’ take on “Man of Constant Sorrow” and closes with the ravishing “V’s of Birds.” The veteran artist’s vision has perhaps never been in such sharp focus, and his singing has rarely sounded so assured and emotionally direct. If you needed a musical definition of what “Americana” means, you could do a lot worse than Second Hand Heart—and it seems likely to be honored in that category—but this lively, soulful set deserves consideration as a dark horse contender for Album of the Year.
