Son Volt was one of two bands that helped me realize that
country music had a lot worth liking (the other being Armchair Martian). It was
singer Jay Farrar’s voice that first grabbed me and helped me come to terms
with the mellow country sound, until I finally acquired a taste for it.
It has been 4 years since Son Volt released their last
album, American Central Dust, which
was a venture more into traditional acoustic folk/country than the rock & roll
of some of their previous albums. On March 5th, Son Volt is
releasing Honky Tonk, and from all I
have read, it will be a continuation of the sound from American Central Dust.
Rolling Stone is streaming the song “Hearts and Minds” from
the album, which you can listen to here. The song does not have the sorrowful
and depressing tone that I particularly love about a lot of Farrar’s other
music, but anything new from Son Volt is worth getting excited about.
