American Central Dust

The Rounder debut of Jay Farrar's long-running project contains some of the sleepiest protest music ever made.

Over Jay Farrar’s past few albums—with Son Volt and on his own—the country-rock singer-songwriter has struggled to fit his drawling monotone into contexts where it won’t sound so limiting. He’s tried matching his voice to an equally stark sound, and hiding behind more elaborate arrangements. Now, with Son Volt’s Americ…

It’s the tracks that play to Son Volt’s strengths that draw the album’s dour shortcomings into sharp relief.