When country music is good, it can be very good. But it could be argued that although Son Volt's celebration of the honky tonk strain hits all the right spots, from the ubiquitous steel guitar to the songs of waltzing weariness and working-class grit, it is not quite natural. Leader Jay Farrar's concept is constructed with great insight and a deft touch. Songs such as Hearts and Minds , Barricades and Down the Highway highlight a place of "hearts left out on a line to dry", and "lessons lost, lessons learned", where "a world full of wisdom [is] inside a fiddle tune". If this album almost feels like a movie, then it is one with a fine sense of place and drama. And not withstanding the verisimilitude of the songs and their settings, it is Farrar's deep grainy voice, rich in resignation, that leaves the greatest imprint.

Download: Down the Highway, Hearts and Minds