Son Volt and Kelly Willis

After the demise of Uncle Tupelo, the strong willed Jay Farrar formed the alternative country band, Son Volt, going on to release numerous albums that received strong critical acclaim. Their live performances are packed with a strong sense of energy containing gritty guitar licks and raw, raspy singing.
Son Volt took the Bob Dylan, folk like influence that Uncle Tupelo was so great at creating and turned it into a more energetic and distorted representation of traditional American music. At times their music is forceful and direct with crunchy, distorted guitar licks blaring through their amps, but at other times they play beautiful folk ballads with gently plucked melodies on the acoustic guitar, which is conveyed on their song “Tear Stained Eye”. They also incorporate other traditional folk instruments into their music such as the fiddle, banjo, and slide guitar.
Through their softest songs they come close to encompassing the sound of Bob Dylan and while they are at their most gritty they come close to the sounds of Neil Young. Their guitars often resonate through the venue with a country twang and Jay Farrar’s raw vocal delivery gives his music a sincere element that sinks right into the heart. Jay Farrar also takes interesting approaches to his songwriting by tuning his guitar in alternate tunings to get really open sounds on his guitar. Although Son Volt never quite gained the commercial success they deserved, they are well respected by critics and fans.
Its hard not to be impressed at a Son Volt concert, seeing Jay Farrar play his music with such precision, singing with his raw, captivating voice, and blowing hauntingly, beautiful melodies into his harmonica. Son Volt’s setlists are also quite pleasing, covering many of their hit songs as well as some covers from Uncle Tupelo’s catalog like “Grindstone” and “Chickamauga”.

Tuesday 24th July, The Lexington, London, Kelly Willis. The heatwave continues in London as we welcome Kelly Willis for apparently for first ever solo show in our town.

Thankfully the aircon is working tonight as the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about. Before the review a word to The Lexington for consistently putting on great shows. I have not seen a bad gig there, the sound is always perfect, the atmosphere is always good as are sightlines in what is my favourite small venue in London. PS props to Green Note for putting on another great gig showcasing top quality female country talent. See also my review of Whitney Rose earlier this year.

Onto Kelly Willis. In the heart felt introduction the promoter name checks Bob Harris who claims that Kelly is the voice of Austin, Texas. After witnessing tonight’s gig I think that description is doing her a disservice. Now my musical palate may not be sophisticated enough to distinguish between Texas country, Nashville country or the burgeoning Carolina’s country but I know what is good country. At a time where there is an abundance of super talented new country princesses such as Margo Price, Nikki Lane, Jaime Wyatt, Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, HC McEntire, Amanda Anne Platt and the aforementioned Whitney Rose to name a few, it has to be said that Kelly Willis is one of the Queens of country sitting firmly at the top table.

She possesses a beautiful traditional country voice, full of range, lifting and soaring then bringing you back down with the right amount of twang with each song delivered in her own way. She is ably supported tonight by a three piece band who are understated and provide the perfect foundation for Willis to layer he voice over.

Over here to promote her excellent first solo album in over ten years ‘Back Being Blue’ we are treated to most of that plus selected tracks from across her back catalogue. The new album is a bit of a throwback and is definitely steeped in traditional country roots and whilst good on record and I know it’s a cliché they really come to life live.

A strong songwriter in her own right her albums are riddled with covers, co-writes with others and her husband Bruce Robison and even tonight weirdly a song co-written by both of her husbands. Name checking all of the writers of each song giving them their full credit she still makes them all Kelly Willis songs.

Highlights tonight for me are ‘Find another Fool’ and from the new album ‘What the Heart doesn’t know’. It’s all over too quickly and we are left hoping that it’s not another decade before her next record and trip across these shoes.

Keep on country rockin y’all