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Jay
Farrar - Terroir Blues
Jay Farrar was one of the two songwriters of the legendary Uncle Tupelo who, along with his partner Jeff Tweedy, created the whole genre of music that we call "alt-country". Uncle Tupelo made four amazing albums that are true classics in the genre and that have influenced many artists for over a decade. They say "all good things must come to an end," and the creative tension in the band finally gave way with Jay and Jeff going their separate ways. Jeff went on to form the critically acclaimed Wilco, while Jay formed the band Son Volt who, after three albums, were dropped by their label. Jay Farrar fell into hibernation for a few years, only to resurface in 2001 with an amazing solo album entitled, "Sebastopol." I have to say that Jay's songs in Uncle Tupelo were my favorites and "Sebastopol proved that he still had that special something that sets him apart from most contemporary songwriters. Now in 2003, Jay has created his own label and released his sophomore solo album, "Terroir Blues," filled with 16 proper songs and interspersed with instrumental soundtrack like passages. Twenty-three tracks in all (recorded with a lo-fi production technique), a small string section accompanies Jay's acoustic guitar and trademark raspy drawl. "Terroir Blues" is a somber collection of roots influenced country songwriting and once again proves that Jay Farrar is an incredible songwriter with a legacy that he more than lives up to, even in 2003. Beautiful! [JS] |
