Although none of the songs on
Straightaways immediately jump off the grooves, as was the case with the band's brilliant debut,
Trace, repeated spins reveal a strong effort nonetheless. Whereas former
Uncle Tupelo partner
Jeff Tweedy and his band,
Wilco, used its sophomore release to explore new territory,
Son Volt leader and songwriter
Jay Farrar keeps his band mining the same country-folk vein that
Uncle Tupelo quarried. There are plenty of threads to connect
Straightaways to
Trace, such as the expressive playing of multi-instrumentalist
Dave Boquist on guitars, fiddle, banjo, and lap steel, and
Farrar's forlorn vocal delivery, which could give even the weakest song emotional power. On
Straightaways, his songs live on the same late-night backwoods rural highways that
Trace inhabited, with song titles like "Creosote" and "Cemetery Savior" conjuring up dark imagery. The album contains plenty of high points: the aforementioned songs, as well as the lonesome "Back Into Your World" and "Last Minute Shakedown." And the only place it comes up short is the lyrics -- unlike
Trace, whose songs "Windfall" and "Tear Stained Eye" stood by themselves and provided a universal feel and emotion that was easily grasped, much of the lyrical content of
Straightaways seems open-ended and fragmented, with the intensity building on the haunting instrumental arrangements and
Farrar's affecting vocal phrasing. ~ Jack Leaver