Rounder

Jay Farrar continues down the road he traversed with 2009’s American Central Dust on Honky Tonk, Son Volt’s second disc on Rounder. Son Volt – circa now, unlike earlier incarnations – is all about decelerated tempos and a notable de-emphasis on electric guitars. This one, per the title, is a surprisingly fresh sounding homage to the ‘50s honky-tonk country homegrown in Bakersfield, Calif. Twin fiddles and pedal steel guitars undergird Farrar’s mournful sounding vocals on songs of romance and/or tortured love such as waltz-time opener “Hearts and Minds,” the starting-stopping charmer “Brick Walls” and the downbeat ballads “Livin’ On” and “Angel of the Blues.” The loping “Bakersfield,” naturally, touches on a place and time where one hears the “sound of heartbreak from a jail cell” and “hell breaks loose on Saturday night.” The bottom line: This album offers appealing neo-retro textures and beautifully arranged songs, some of which are too sluggish and mannered for their own good.