Son Volt - Trace (CD)

Definitive roots music.

By CodyG  Oct 12, 2001

From the man who invented No Depression music comes perhaps the strongest album the genre has ever produced. Slow country/folk tunes like "Windfall," "Tear-Stained Eye," and "Too Early" will stick with you after one listen (in the least annoying way... possible). Rockers like "Live Free," "Drown," and "Route" will give you a burst of adrenaline that Farrar will make sure to quickly shoot down with another crop of country tear-jerkers. While there is not a bad song on the album, the highlights are "Ten Second News," a Neil Young style minor-key acoustic trudge through the pitfalls of the Midwest's tragic mediocrity, and "Mystifies Me," a cover of an obscure Ron Wood song that surpasses the original by miles. While the lyrics to a handfull of the songs can be downright baffling, Farrar's wordplay and symbolism are at once intriguing and frightening. Farrar's vocals never disappoint, nor do the cutting distorted guitar lines, and the harmony vocals are incredible. However at first listen, the drums on "Route" and other such rockers seem to need a dash of power, but this is the true brilliance of Son Volt. Every move made by this band is a reflection of a mood, and the sleepy rock drumming of Mike Heidorn seems almost a call to arms against the blasphemy of mediocre rock's soulless power-hitters and a return to the days of steady humble rhythms of greats like Ringo Starr. I highly recommend this album. Read more Less