Album Review – Son Volt’s “Honky Tonk”
As the enlightened country music public was attempting to ingest all the recent offerings from a cavalcade of female artists doing their part to save country music like Holly Williams, Kacey Musgraves and Ashley Monroe, alt-country legacy band Son Volt released a fiercely classic country album themselves called Honky Tonk, proving that the resurgence of real country is multipronged, multisex, and multigenre. Maybe, just maybe, classic country is cool again.
As one of the original members of Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar is one of the forebearers of the alt-country sound that now has morphed into the all-encompassing Americana behemoth that here in 2013 is enjoying a meteoric rise in influence. But instead of trying to figure out how to ride that popularity wave, Farrar and Son Volt release an album that is so doggone country, you could almost call it conceptualized. Honky Tonk is way more Jason Eady than Jason Isbell, featuring simplified, classic country stories, steel guitar and fiddle, and a revivalist spirit that champions the idea that the classic country sound will always be relevant as long as working-class people gather in beer joints for camaraderie, conversation, and commiseration.
Honky Tonk draws its influences from across the American country music landscape. The song “Seawall” mentions West Virginia and Kingman, Arizona, and features the double fiddle indicative of Texas. “Hearts and Minds” and “Brick Walls” also build from a double fiddle bed. But if Honky Tonk‘s heart rests anywhere, it is on the West Coast, and not just in “Bakersfield,” one of the album’s better tracks. There’s a little Flying Burrito action going on here, where country is come to sort of from the outside looking in. This doesn’t hinder the music, it instills it with heart. Son Volt is playing classic country not from habit, but from choice. They cut a classic country album because they wanted to.
This move can’t be described as completely out-of-the-blue though. 2009’s American Central Dust seemed to hint of the more hard country direction that Honky Tonk eventually came to represent. But there’s still a few overlays in this album that inform Son Volt’s alt-country roots, like the warbly organ on “Livin’ On,” or the watery guitar on the album’s final track “Shine On” that is indicative of 60’s styling. For my money, Honky Tonk‘s can’t miss track is the eloquent and heart wrenching “Angel of the Blues.” Jay Farrar’s chord selection is sublime, sucking you into the solemn story.
A little worry that this album will be too sleepy for some folks is probably warranted. Son Volt never really takes Honky Tonk up tempo. It’s pretty sedate throughout, with not a lot separating the individual tracks from each other. At the same time, it is very cohesive and thematic in its approach, allowing you to get lost in the music. Farrar favors ambiguity in his songwriting to constructing characters and trying to get you to care about them. He’s more about giving off hints and moods, and letting the listener’s ear and mind construct the realism according to their own experiences.
Something is going on in country music right now, and we may not know its full breath or impact until we’re able to look back on it in the future. But from American Idol’s Kellie Pickler, to Ashley Monroe, to Son Volt, classic country is making a strong resurgence, and its fans may have to stop playing the downtrodden, forgotten demographic card they’re so used to identifying with. Things are finally changing, and if Son Volt’s Honky Tonk is any indication, they’re changing for the better.
1 3/4 of 2 guns up.
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March 24, 2013 @ 10:36 am
Growing up in nowhere Eastern Iowa I’ve been down with Jay’s sound since the early 90’s Uncle Tupelo days. He’s had his ups and downs musically over the years but this LP is solid. The sound of two fiddles and peddle steel jangles my head.
March 24, 2013 @ 11:47 am
Good to see an album review of an old favorite here.
Having loyalty to the Son Volt/Jay Farrar brand, I always buy the new one when it comes out. Was excited that this was to be a straight country effort. After the first couple of listens, I thought the album was a solid if unspectacular effort. By the next couple of listens, I was hooked. I think this album is a grower and might be my favorite Son Volt/Jay Farrar release in the 21st century, with maybe the exception of 2005’s Okemah and the Melody of Riot. American Central Dust was a good one too, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys this one.
March 24, 2013 @ 1:09 pm
I agree, this one’s a creeper. Usually it takes really fast, high energy songs, or slow, depressing songs to initially suck you into an album while the rest of the material grows on you slowly. “Honky Tonk” really only has one of these songs, “Angel of the Blues.” That’s why I mentioned it might comes across as sleepy to some people. Give this album some time and it will reveal itself.
March 25, 2013 @ 8:15 am
I am a huge son volt fan, but I think their best songs were never very energetic (tear stained eye, methamphetamine, windfall etc.).
As for the feud, both Farrar and Tweedy seem like they have huge egos, but I Son Volt’s music is much better than Wilco, in my opinion.
March 24, 2013 @ 12:06 pm
Cool review.
March 24, 2013 @ 3:23 pm
I have seen nothing but great reviews all around for this album, Im looking forward to picking it up in the next week.
March 25, 2013 @ 9:10 am
This album is a pan of warm, homemade, butter frosted cinnamon rolls. I’m gonna buy it, put on my headphones, and totally overindulge. What a nice surprise on a crappy Monday. Thanks, Trigger!
March 25, 2013 @ 10:30 am
While I hope classic country is making a comeback, I’m not sure that the records your pointing to really show that much.
Son Volt and Holly Williams are both on independent labels and (as far as I can see) have not had great sales or radio play.
Ashley Monroe could break through the album was at the top 10 for sales (down to 18), and it seems like everyone is promoting it, but I’m don’t think its getting played on the radio or CMT. She may end up breaking through, but I don’t think we’ve got to that point.
Kellie Pickler deserves credit for 100 proof, but it was a commercial failure that resulted in her getting dropped from her label. Not exactly a resurgence of traditional country music. I hope she has success with her independent label, but that remains to be seemed.
Kacey Musgraves seems to be pretty popular, but I don’t really see her as traditional country, and frankly can’t get too excited about her.
Another point is that it seems like the mainstream music press have really really pushed Monroe, Musgraves, and Pickler. That didn’t really help Pickler. I hope it helps Monroe, but I wonder if the reason she debuted in the top 10 was from all the internet pre-orders due to the press, but that she’ll fall off because Radio and CMT doesn’t play her. I hope that’s not the case, but worth considering.
March 25, 2013 @ 9:56 pm
Solid album. It never really blows you away like some of the songs on No Depression did, but it’s one of Jay’s most country albums in a long time. Very traditional sound, no frills old school country. I wouldn’t bank on this getting much attention though. It seems that the women with more traditional/alt-country approaches in 2013 have more traction at this point.
March 26, 2013 @ 12:57 pm
Wanted to say thank you for this review – it was nice to see this posted here. Obviously – I’m a big fan of JF. The 4 UT albums and the first 3 SV albums are as impressive & time standing as any string of consecutive album releases — ever. That’s a mouthful – but if you know those 7 albums at all, I can’t imagine argument. That’s not to take anything away from Jay’s solo releases, soundtrack, collaborations, or the last 4 Son Volt albums (including Honky Tonk). Honky Tonk is outstanding. Knowing Jay as non-personally as I do, the classic country vibe timing is purely coincidental. The last thing I can ever imagine Jay doing is recording an album to capitalize on a trend!! He was moving in this direction with the last SV release and his past 2 collaborations. Enjoy the Honky Tonk sound. Jay Farrar is a living legend few know of. He likes it that way.
July 16, 2013 @ 12:18 pm
By far, the best Son Volt album since Wide Swing Tremolo.