Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot

Jay Farrar's back-and-forth forays into country and rock music naturally link him to Gram Parsons, yet Farrar’s further bonded to the late pioneer by his ability to play assorted styles in various groupings and incarnations. After two albums and an EP of solo material that had him dipping his toes in -Revolveresque studio methods, Farrar has reassembled Son Volt (with all new members) for its first all-new recording in seven years. Named for the Oklahoma town that raised Woody Guthrie, the record’s impulsively executed dozen are as much about turmoil as they are observation, complete with a recorded-live pulse complemented by guitarist Brad Rice (ex-Whiskeytown). Farrar continues his bold capacity for weaving historic references, progressive images and political jabs into his lyrics, then drives them home with a melodic cadence of rock ("Jet Pilot"), folk ("Medication") and balladeering ("World Waits For You"). Artistically potent, forever changing, he continues to build on his repute as one his generation’s most important artists. --Scott Holter Amazon.com

Rate the music, please!

I think it's extremely unfair to write bad reviews on this album because "it is copy protected" or "don't play on my computer". I mean, right now 8 out 10 reviewers gave it "1 star" complaining about this kind of stuff, not the music in itself. And negative reviews only affect the band, not the record company, which is the one that should be criticised in the first place.

That said, I must say to Son Volt fans: forget about "Uncle Tupelo", "Trace" or the "AltCountry" movement. This is just a rock album, it has nothing to do with country. It's the new incarnation of Son Volt and it's great this way. I love the old one but I love this new one too.

Not to say I don't have some complaints on the songs here: I'd love to hear Jay Farrar expand his compositions a little (a lot) longer, let Brad Rice fly on a REAL guitar solo (or Jay could do it himself). I think "Highway 61" deserved a lengthier solo and "Endless War" was begging for a sparse guitar solo at the end.

Well, maybe that's just me. I think Jay Farrar just likes to keep thinks concise, and he does. To his credit, songs like "Bandages & Scars" and "6 String Belief" are too perfect to be changed in any way. These two plus "Endless War", "Medication", "Gramophone" and "World Waits For You" make this record nearly an instant classic.

So, in spite of my complaints, I can only rate it 5 stars. And I recommend "The Search" too.
December 26, 2007

Rate the MUSIC, people

Never in my life have I encountered such a concentrated collection of spoiled crybabies in one place, as I have found here on the Amazon reviews for OKEMAH. In only about 70 reviews, there are ten 1-star reviews, almost of of which are complaints about things not conforming to their "digital world." What a joke.

THIS IS SPECTACULAR MUSIC. It's in my Top 10 list for this decade, along with most of the efforts of Wilco and the Flaming Lips. Buy it, but please do your own research on getting it in the proper format for your devices. October 10, 2007

Not what they once were, but still better than the rest

This is a fine album by a fine band. The orginal incarnation was a great band. Trace, in particular, was a transcendent ablum. All of the albums by the prior incarnation had moments that stamped themselves on me. This band, with the roots rocking approach they take, doesn't tap into the pained weariness that Farrar does so well. Still, buy this album, it is good. Just make sure to buy all prior Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo albums first. March 16, 2007

Does not disappoint...

I bought this CD after I heard track 8, Medication, on a local radio station - KEXP - very cool station, btw. Jay Farrar and co. continue to put out very good music. I have to admit though, the CD didn't reel me in right away. I had to give it a couple of listens before I really started to appreciate it, as I do all of the other combined CDs.

Oh, and Medication is still my favorite track...puts you in another place. A place where you wish you could stay longer.

Highly recommended. June 14, 2006

Son Volt fan, but won't buy because of copy protection

stop reading if you've heard this before, I want my voice heard. I've been a fan of Jay's since Uncle Tupelo, and want to hear this CD. I won't, however, as it comes on a crippled faux-CD that won't copy to a high-fidelity or lossless codec for use on my home stereo system and my portable players.

And no I won't just buy from itunes, because that's a low-fidelity and lossy codec. If I buy a CD, I have the right to encode it to any codec I choose. Son Volt's publisher has decided this shouldn't be so, so I'm voting with my dollars and my amazon comments. For shame. June 12, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...