Honky Tonk
Jay Farrar has always stood up for the Little Guy in America, regular folks facing down some challenge. But Son Volt's latest, Honky Tonk, shows the Little Guy at leisure, channeling the midtempo stylings of musicians like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.
From the end of Uncle Tupelo to the first round of Son Volt to Jay Farrar's solo career to the new Son Volt, the band has…
When Uncle Tupelo split in 1993, Tweedy, always more on the pop side of things, formed Wilco, which enjoyed commercial and critical success, while Farrar, who mapped out the moodier, more hangdog country side of things, formed Son Volt, a band with no aspirations for the charts, indie or otherwise, and while Son Volt's albums have been strong, interesting, and decidedly uncommercial ever since, they all lead, it seems, to this new one, Honky Tonk, which arrives at last squarely in country territory (more specifically, the Bakersfield country of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard), with nary an electric guitar in sight.
From the sound of fiddles and the lively Texas two-step rhythm on opening track "Hearts nd Minds," it's clear that Jay Farrar and the curren...