3 Pears

3 Pears is the 18th studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released on September 18, 2012 via Warner Bros. Records.

The album, which includes collaborations with Beck, Kid Rock and Ashley Monroe of Pistol Annies, has been one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of Yoakam's career. 3 Pears peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming Yoakam's highest position on the general music chart. By the end of 2012, 3 Pears had appeared on more critic's annual "Best Of" lists than any other album in the country music genre.

The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 18, and on the Top Country Albums chart at No. 3, selling 19,000 copies in its first week. As of April 2015, the album has sold 101,000 copies in the U.S.

3 Pears reached No. 1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012, and it broke the 2012 record for most weeks at No. 1 on Americana Radio.

Rolling Stone named the song "A Heart Like Mine" the 39th best song of 2012. The music video was directed by Margaret Malandruccolo.

Personnel

 * Rick "The" Baptist – trumpets (6)
 * Charlie Bisharat – violin (6)
 * David Campbell – string arrangements (6), brass arrangements (6), conducting (6)
 * Jonathan Clark – background vocals (1, 3, 5-9, 11), bass guitar (2, 3, 4, 11)
 * Martin Cooke – tambourine (4)
 * Marc DeSisto – handclaps (10)
 * Jason Falkner – bass guitar (9), electric guitar (9)
 * Chris Gray – trumpets (6)
 * Beck Hansen – handclaps (7)
 * Doyle Hargraves – handclaps (10)
 * Alan Kaplan – trombone (6)
 * Suzie Katayama – cellos (6)
 * Darrin McCann – viola (6)
 * Mitch Marine – drums (1-6, 8, 10, 11)
 * Cole Marsden – bass guitars (7)
 * Joe Meyer – French horn (6)
 * Kevin Mills – tambourine (1)
 * Raul Mischief – handclaps (7)
 * "Good" Grief Neill – bass guitars (7)
 * Eddie "Scarlito" Perez – lead guitar (3, 6, 11), background vocals (3)
 * Steve Richards – cellos (6)
 * Cassidy Turbin – drums (7), handclaps (7)
 * Joey Waronker – drums (9), percussion (9)
 * Brian Whelan – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11), bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 8, 10), organ (2, 4, 6, 8, 11), piano (2, 3, 6, 12), steel guitar (1, 3, 9), harmonium (1), Wurlitzer (5), keyboards (10), tambourine (10), handclaps (10), slide guitar (11)
 * Dwight Yoakam – lead vocals, electric guitar (1-5, 7, 8, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 6-9, 11), tambourine (4, 5), background vocals (11)