Son Volt

The Search

[2.5/5] This much we know: From his work in Uncle Tupelo to his tenure in Son Volt and his respectable solo career, Jay Farrar has probably done more for the alt-country tag than anyone else on Earth. However, while The Search, the fifth album from Son Volt-and their second since reforming in 2005-won’t hurt his legacy, it lacks the spark of the band’s classic catalog material. As usual, Farrar is at his best when he sticks to singing about crossing state lines, guided by a 4/4 backbeat (the title track) or via a gentle, country-tinged lullaby (“Highways And Cigarettes”). The lyrical content may not be different on, say, “Adrenaline + Heresy,” but the dragging, piano-driven ballad lacks urgency-and although he croons about “bitter comfort” during the song’s chorus, Farrar never quite delivers it. (TRANSMIT SOUND/LEGACY) Jonah Bayer