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45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Woody, Neil and Jay, July 24, 2005
I am still reeling from the one-two punch of seeing Son Volt live at the "WXPN All About the Music Festival" in Camden, NJ this weekend, then coming home and listening to their new CD. It's a passionate, heartfelt-from-the-heartland, politically-charged, inspired work of roots-rock. Jay Farrar has put together an all-new band (and apparently, even since the recording sessions, Chris Frame has replaced Brad Rice as lead guitarist). There is definitely more of a rock than an alt-country edge to this record, which may put off some long-time fans, but personally I think they've never sounded better. It's hard to pick highlights on such a solidly fine recording - it bolts from the gate with "Bandages and Scars" and never lets down from there. "Afterglow 61", "Jet Pilot" and "Gramophone" are probably the very best of the rest. Then there's "Medication", an Eastern-tinged tune and as close to a progressive departure as the album takes. I wished the song were longer, after hearing an incredible extended live performance of it at the festival, and Jay's mesmerizing solo acoustic version on the DVD side of this disc. (The DVD side of this "Dual-Disc", by the way, is also very good, with a documentary about Farrar's reforming of the band, interspersed with live performances, including "Joe Citizen's Blues", which should have been included on the audio CD.)
Farrar admits to Woody Guthrie as a major inspiration, but Neil Young is another obvious influence. Since Uncle Tupelo's breakup, Jeff Tweedy has led Wilco down an increasingly adventurous path (sometimes self-consciously so), while Jay Farrar has stayed the course with Son Volt's sound. And I have to admit, I'm enjoying this CD more than I did the last Wilco release, "A Ghost Is Born". Son Volt aims for the heart more than the head, and this time they've hit a bulls-eye.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A return to form, July 12, 2005
This is the record that fans had hoped Jay Farrar would record in the near future. But also, I think most of Jay's fans would admit, there remained some unspoken but palpable doubt that Farrar had this type of record left in him. After two good-but-not-great solo albums, I had begun to fear that Farrar had reached a point in his career that made the old Son Volt sound a thing of the past, irrecoverable to the artist who had crafted it. But Jay has made a return to form with 'Okemah,' and some of his brilliant career's brightest moments are right here on this disc. The first four tracks amount to one of the most powerful openings of any record I've heard. From the opening strumming of "Bandages and Scars" it becomes clear that this is the loudest Farrar has played since Uncle Tupelo's 'Still Feel Gone' record 14 years ago. "Afterglow 61" is American rock 'n' roll at its finest, and the voice in the song is as distinctly American as those Farrar references in the song: Mark Twain, Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly), and Bob Dylan. Farrar's apocalyptic view of the world, inspired by his displeasure with the Bush administration, is clear from the beginning of 'Okemah,' and he takes direct aim at "Junior" as he calls W in the rocking "Jet Pilot," which features a soft, electric guitar riff as gripping as anything Son Volt has recorded to date. The driving tempo and dusty guitars of "Atmosphere" calls to mind 'Straightaways' "Cemetary Savior" and "Left A Slide," and the chorus in "Atmosphere" features a classic Farrar melody that will give the Farrar faithful welcome chills. "6 String Belief," which many have heard on a previous Jay Farrar solo live recording, is juiced up and electrified, making an already good song great with blistering lead guitar. And it is another that will eventually get grouped with other classic Farrar compositions. I have given this record four stars rather than five solely because of the tracks "Ipecac" and "Medication," which sound like leftovers from Farrar's solo work - good, but perhaps out of place on 'Okemah.' But Son Volt's record is just that, a Son Volt record - same great and distinct sound, same rich and mysterious songwriting, this time with amps cranked to 11.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes, it's Son Volt. Yes, it rocks. Album of the Year., July 16, 2005
Okemah and the Melody of Riot is an incredible album - and not just because it sounds great. It's a record that feels important. There are big issues at play here, world affairs to discuss. The legacy of Woody Guthrie to continue. But it's also a record of hope and a record of simple, American pleasures - a music and history lesson as you drive down Highway 61, the magic of vinyl records, the redemptive power of music.
Musically, this album rocks. Fantastic electric guitar work from Farrar and Brad Rice on Bandages and Scars, Afterglow 61, Who, Jet Pilot, Endless War, Six String Belief, Chaos Streams. Atmosphere features the tempo changes Farrar used to great effect in Uncle Tupelo. But Okemah is not just a collection of rock songs. Gramophone is simply gorgeous with a rich sound - organ and guitar complimenting Farrar's harmonica until the killer ending guitar solo. Medication has an Eastern feel with slide dulcimer and alternate tunings. Ipecac is a great change of pace song in the middle of the album. World Waits For You starts out with Farrar's piano alongside pedal steel guitar before the whole band fleshes it out in the reprise.
The lyrics take this album to the next level. Okemah is of course Woody Guthrie's hometown and Farrar references him by name in the album's opener. It's clear Farrar has been "doing a lot of thinking" about the world, the country and music. This album is cohesive - I'd almost call it a concept album but that brings to mind Pink Floyd or something and it's not exactly in that vein. Jet Pilot takes a poke at our current Commander In Chief specifically and privileged leaders in general. In Endless War, Farrar wonders how another wrong makes a right. 6 String Belief calls for a grassroots revolution to recapture what's been lost in the music industry in the age of consolidation and saturation. Afterglow 61 speaks of history breathing on America's famous highway. Chaos Streams has that magical Farrar wordplay - "from the dying dust a marauding shine for the shed skin soul."
Simply put, I can't get this album out of my player. Great melodies, great tunes, lyrics to absorb and reflect upon. Farrar's voice has never been better.
The reviews that question whether this band should be called Son Volt, and note that Farrar is the only original member, are laughable. It's not as if Mike Heidorn has an all new band and is calling it Son Volt. This is Jay Farrar for crying out loud. He IS Son Volt. It's always been his band, his record contract, his music, his lyrics, his vision. That's not to say the Boquists and Heidorn are not great musicians who did fantastic work on and brought their considerable skill to the first 3 Son Volt records - they did. Jay wanted them back for this album. When it didn't work out, Farrar says he was devastated. But he moved on, assembled a killer new band, and created this masterpiece. There's an edge to it musically that might not have materialized with the old lineup. I think it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
A reviewer here says it's not Son Volt because there's no pedal steel. There's pedal steel all over Farrar's last studio solo album, Terroir Blues. And pedal steel player Eric Heywood is on several songs on Terroir Blues, just as he is on the first two Son Volt records. Yet Terroir Blues is clearly a solo effort for Farrar - it's a little more experimental, a little less traditional. Okemah and the Melody of Riot is clearly a Son Volt album. It's not an abundance of pedal steel that makes it Son Volt. It's Jay Farrar's lyrics, music, feel. It's the beauty and power that comes out of 4 musicians mostly playing live in the studio, and capturing that essence on a record. These are Son Volt songs. They demanded to be heard in this style. And the results, with the great new musicians Farrar assembled, are astounding.
And I'll add, since I've seen a couple of 1 star reviews here simply because the reviewers couldn't get the cd to play in their system .. this cd is a dual disc. One side is the CD, the other is a 30 minute DVD that has footage of the making of the CD and some live Son Volt and Farrar solo performances (great stuff by the way.) I have had no issues whatsoever playing this CD or the DVD. The music side of the CD plays in my computer, my CD player on my stereo and my 10 year old CD walkman. The DVD side also has the album in enhanced stereo.
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