Trace (Son Volt album) explained

Trace is the debut studio album by American rock band Son Volt, released on September 19, 1995, through Warner Bros. Records. The band was formed the previous year by Jay Farrar after the breakup of the influential alt-country band Uncle Tupelo. Prior to its release, there was debate about whether Son Volt or Wilco, Uncle Tupelo's other offshoot, would produce a better album.

Trace was a critical and commercial success, and peaked at number 166 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. The album's second single, "Drown", was a radio hit, and charted at number 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart (and was their only single to make either chart). By 2009, Trace had sold 297,000 copies in the United States, and outsold Wilco's A.M., released six months before, two-to-one.^{[1] [2] [3]} It is Son Volt's only album to outsell Wilco.

Reception

Trace received critical acclaim. 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." AmericanaUK calls Trace, "A graceful masterpiece, a positive turning of the page for Farrar, and a gentle reminder of the power and long-lasting influence of Uncle Tupelo."^[4]

The Village Voice placed Trace at number 13 on the 1995 Pazz & Jop critics poll,^[5] whilst the album placed ninth on Rolling Stone's 1995 critics' list.^[6] In 2016, Paste ranked Trace fourth on its list of "The 50 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time".^[7]

Track listing

All songs 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"

Charts

Charts (1995–96)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[8]	166
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)	7

References

• Encyclopedia: Holly George-Warren and Patricia Romanowski . The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll . Son Volt. 2005. Fireside. . 978-0-7432-9201-6 . 911–912.

Notes and References

1. Ayers . Michael D. . 2009-08-13 . Death Cab's Ben Gibbard, Jay Farrar Team Up For Kerouac Soundtrack . Billboard . en-US . 2023-03-02.
2. 21 April 2007 . Charting Wilco's Course . Billboard . 22 . 28 January 2019.
3. Fricke . David . David Fricke . March 20, 1997 . Not Just a Country Rock Band . Rolling Stone.
4. Web site: Newby . Tim . Classic Americana Albums: Son Volt "Trace" (Warner Bros, 1995) . 12 February 2021 . AmericanaUK.
5. News: The 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll . . Last accessed July 9, 2007.
6. Anon. . January 25, 1996 . Critics' poll 1996 . . 726 . 40-51 . 0035-791X . ProQuest.
7. Web site: Jackson . Josh . August 4, 2016 . The 50 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time . 2023-04-06 . . en-US.
8. Anon. . Son Volt Chart History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121091545/https://www.billboard.com/artist/son-volt/chart-history/ . November 21, 2021 . March 3, 2023 . Billboard.