Trace (album)

Trace
Studio album by Son Volt
Released	September 19, 1995
Recorded	November–December 1994 at Salmagundi, Northfield, MN
Genre	Alternative country Alternative rock
Length	42:07
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Brian Paulson, Son Volt
Son Volt chronology
Trace (1995) Straightaways (1997)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Alternative Press	(favorable)[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A[3]
NME	(8/10)[2]
Robert Christgau	C+[4]

Trace is the first album by Son Volt, released in 1995. The band was formed the previous year by Jay Farrar after the breakup of the influential alt-country band Uncle Tupelo. The album reached #166 on the Billboard 200 album chart and received extremely favorable reviews. According to Allmusic, "Throughout Son Volt's debut, Trace, the group reworks classic honky tonk and rock & roll, adding a desperate, determined edge to their performances. Even when they rock out, there is a palpable sense of melancholy to Farrar's voice, which lends a poignancy to the music." The album was in the top 10 of Rolling Stone's 1995 critics' list.

"Drown" was a minor college and rock radio hit. It charted at #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[5] It remains their only single to chart on either of the charts.

Track listing

All of the songs were written by Farrar except "Mystifies Me", written by Ronnie Wood.

1. "Windfall" – 2:58
2. "Live Free" – 3:13
3. "Tear Stained Eye" – 4:21
4. "Route" – 3:57
5. "Ten Second News" – 3:57
6. "Drown" – 3:20
7. "Loose String" – 3:48
8. "Out of the Picture" – 3:50
9. "Catching On" – 4:02
10. "Too Early" – 4:29
11. "Mystifies Me" – 4:12

Personnel

• Dave Boquist: Guitar, banjo, fiddle, lap steel guitar, Dobro
• Jim Boquist: Bass, backing vocals
• Jay Farrar: Vocals, guitar
• Mike Heidorn: Drums
• Eric Heywood: Pedal steel guitar
• Craig Krampf: Drums on "Live Free"
• Dan Newton: Accordion on "Too Early"
• Marc Perlman: Bass on "Mystifies Me"

References

• Holly George-Warren and Patricia Romanowski, ed. (2005). "Son Volt". The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. New York, New York: Fireside. pp. 911–912. ISBN 978-0-7432-9201-6.  |accessdate= requires |url= (help)