This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other.

Son Volt: Jay Farrar (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Brad Rice (guitar); Andrew Duplantis (bass guitar, background vocals); Dave Bryson (drums).

Additional personnel: Mark Spencer (slide guitar, dulcimer, background vocals); John Horton (electric slide guitar); Eric Heywood (pedal steel guitar).

Many fans were surprised to see Son Volt release a new studio album just a few months after 2005's Son Volt RETROSPECTIVE. Even more surprising, OKEMAH AND THE MELODY OF RIOT, features singer/songwriter/guitarist Jay Farrar as the sole original member. Though some may take issue with former Uncle Tupelo frontman issuing the disc under the Son Volt name rather than as a solo album, it's hard to ignore OKEMAH's return to the muscular form of albums like TRACE.

Although the instrumental interplay between the Boquist brothers is missed here, Son Volt Mark II exhibits more energy than the group's earlier incarnation did on their second and third albums. The revamped quartet, which includes former Meat Puppet Andrew Duplantis on bass, careens through Crazy Horse-inspired guitar workouts ("Bandages & Scars"), acoustic strummers ("Ipecac," "Medication"), and potent mid-tempo tunes that take the US government to task ("Jet Pilot," "Endless War"). More focused than Farrar's occasionally experimental solo outings, OKEMAH shows that getting back to basics suits him--and his reinvigorated band--quite well.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 829, p.71) - "...Farrar's perfectly ramshackle voice still delivers his oblique lyrics, but now it's backed by a tighter, revamped lineup..." - Grade: B

Uncut (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Farrar here reconnects with his electric muse - the thrill of plugging in again is evident..."

Dirty Linen (p.65) - "Son Volt seem comfortable working and growing within the alternative country genre..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[Farrar] abandons the experimental tenor of his solo catalogue in favor of the familiar melodies and stop-start dynamics of the band's still unsurpassed 1995 debut, TRACE."