Dwight Yoakam stopped by 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' Wednesday night (Jan. 2) to perform 'Heart Like Mine,' the latest single from his critically-acclaimed 2012 studio album, '3 Pears.'

'Heart Like Mine' landed at No. 39 on Rolling Stone's Best Songs of 2012 year-end countdown -- just one of the countless accolades '3 Pears' has earned since its release in September. The 12-track record has appeared on more critic's choice countdowns than any other country music release in 2012.

"[It's] beginning to feel like a child I had somewhere along the way. This one is its own journey. It mirrors a lot of life for me. It really was different in every way," Yoakam tells the Boot of his recent release. "From how I first began recording with Beck on the two tracks that he co-produced ['A Heart Like Mine' and 'Missing Heart'] and the template that kind of established for me in my own process of how I was going to go forward recording the rest of the record."

Yoakam continues to tour heavily in support of his first studio album in nearly seven years. The superstar singer currently has dates scheduled through the end of August.

Watch Dwight Yoakam Perform 'Heart Like Mine' on 'Leno'

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