Honky Tonk (studio album) by Son Volt

From buzzdainer 12/08/2017 23:56

I've never quite understood outlaw country's fascination with honky tonks--well, aside from the fact that honky tonks were the most common venue where that sort of music was made. Having never been to a proper honky tonk in my life, unless you count the Filling Station here in Bozeman, maybe I just can't relate. But it's funny: when artists I generally like try to pay homage to honky tonks or honky tonk music, I'm very rarely moved. Which brings us to Son Volt's Honky Tonk. Son Volt is a great band, and this isn't a bad album at all. But it's also not Jay Farrar and company's best work. Far from it. For better or worse, it's much more of a genre exercise involving pedal steel and fiddles, and less a rocking Son Volt record. I think I'd rather hear Son Volt rock out, though I understand and respect an artist's need for exploration.