Plain-spoken to a fault

Son Volt

“Okemah and the Melody of Riot”

(Transmit Sounds/Legacy Recordings)

* * 1/2

Give Jay Farrar credit for not trying to pull a Wilco -- tempting as it might be given that his former Uncle Tupelo partner Jeff Tweedy’s group has gotten the lion’s share of attention and acclaim by taking a more experimental and less “alt-country” approach than Farrar has with his more plain-spoken Son Volt and solo projects.

Reactivating the Son Volt brand after two solo albums, Farrar sounds at ease, even with a new supporting cast.

Often evoking Neil Young’s Crazy Horse edge, the opening pair of “Bandages & Scars” and “Afterglow 61” throws some sparks, and the political overtones are set off effectively by Farrar’s dour drawl. But after a few songs, the formula wears thin -- it’s just too plain-spoken and familiar.

It’s when Farrar goes off the track that things are most interesting. Snaky melody and acoustic slide guitar lines give “Medication” a seductive, raga-folk tone. And the closing ballad, “World Waits for You,” with its tinny piano and understated slide, is a heartbreaking elegy. More along those lines would have been welcome.

-- Steve Hochman