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Album Review: Son Volt - Notes Of Blue

Steve Bell
StarStarStarHalf Star

"As vital as anything he's penned since Uncle Tupelo's halcyon days."

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Alt-country pioneer Jay Farrar returns with his eighth Son Volt album, his deadpan vocal delivery as resigned and expressive as ever.

There are slight nods to the blues throughout, without ever hijacking the soulful Americana for which he's long been renowned (pedal steel as prominent here in places as during the band's early incarnation). Farrar's songwriting shines once more, tunes like the rousing Back Against The Wall, the stomping Cherokee St and the pleading rush of Sinking Down as vital as anything he's penned since Uncle Tupelo's halcyon days.