This cd will dissapoint a lot of people. Jay Farrar was in Uncle Tupelo at the start of the 90's with Jeff Tweedy where they released four classic alt.country albums. They covered the Carter song, "No Depression", which influenced an alt.country (whatever that is) magazine to get named after it, in addition to nicknaming the whole alt.country genre "No Depression". Farrar and Tweedy split and Tweedy went on to form the successful band, Wilco. Jay Farrar formed the band Son Volt. His new band did not reach the heights that Wilco has, but they've remained in the forefront of alt.country music.

Now, Jay Farrar offers us his third solo release, following last year's EP. This cd is titled, "Terroir Blues", and no, a "terroir" is not a kind of dog, and neither is it a misprint of a strong kind of fear. (On a simular note, what the heck is a "Sebastopol", anyway?)

The artwork that graces Farrar's cds almost have a trademark feel to them. They tend to have contrasting darks and lights in rectangular blocks with some kind of machine. Even if I didn't Farrar's name on this cd, I would guess that he was the one who releasesd. This one features a diagram of a battery powered object.

Son Volt was a gritty, electric alt.country group. Even Farrar's other solo material leans toward that sound. Here, however, Farrar trades in his electric guitar and distortion pedal for an acoustic guitar and piano. The songs feel laid back and have almost a singer-songwriter quality to them while remaining "alt.country".

There are 23 tracks here. Six of those are a electronica/noise instrumentals that last about ten to twenty seconds in length. While they don't distract from the flow, they aren't nessisarily nessisary, either. I tend to appriciate the varying sound, other people will hate it.

The rest of the 17 songs are well executed acoustic alt.country ditties. Some are simple and straightforward. Others add quirky elements. A flute is utilized on one song, a cello on another. A piano can often be heard either in the background or as an important piece for the song.

While I have never drunk any alcoholic beverage, due to being underage, track three, Hard Is The Fall, makes me feel drunk. The guitar and vocals have this weird effect on them which makes the sound vibrate and blur. It almost feels like the song is staggering.

That is followed by my favorite song on the cd, Fool King's Crown. It weaves a low, steady bass with a slide guitar, and a picked acoustic guitar. The song bounces along with a cheerful feel.

Each song does a good job of having it's own identity. While there might be a song here or there which should not have made the cut, over all this collection does a wonderful job of showing Jay Farrar's acoustic side.

peace.