Son Volt presents The Songs Of Doug Sahm primarily as a homage to the late Texan, a somewhat unsung but nonetheless rabidly revered figure of contemporary rock. In doing so, Jay Farrar and company’s arrangements and musicianship on the twelve songs accurately reflect the eclectic range of style for the object of their affection employed on his own records.
The leader of Son Volt certainly did yeoman’s work in assembling the selections for Day Of The Doug. He Is unquestionably a most astute student of modern musicology–as the linchpin of the alternative country icons Uncle Tupelo, he participated in covering material ranging from the Carter Family to the Stooges–but he and his band imbue songs like “Beautiful Texas Sunshine” and “Huggin’ Thin Air” with undeniably warm respect.
That said, Farrar held fast to his intention to avoid choosing the most obvious tunes. In fact, only four cuts here, including “What About Tomorrow” and “Dynamite Woman,” appear on the limited-edition five-CD box set from 2005, The Complete Mercury Recordings. But that only serves to illustrate the scope of Doug Sahm’s body of work beyond his most well-known work in the form of “She’s About A Mover” fame.
The familiarity of the numbers (or lack thereof) is far less significant than the vigor and imagination with which Son Volt sings and plays something like “Seguin.” And on “Float Away,” the group exhibits an even more unabashed glee, its joyous abandon in marked contrast to the frontman’s generally stoic demeanor (and sometimes one-colored vocal delivery).
Son Volt deeply connects with Doug Sahm’s work at a visceral and emotional level, to the point the impact of this LP is comparable to their own recent output (and “It’s Gonna Be Easy” sounds like an outtake from a Jay Farrar solo album). Then again, as with 2019’s Union and Electro Melodier two years later, the fivesome never overstates, but rather only suggests, numbers such as “Keep Your Soul.”
Son Volt can afford this nuanced approach because their own discography is right in line with the ‘Texas Tornado”s oeuvre. The horn-laden arrangements on 2007’s The Search and, six years later on the authentic Honky Tonk, an ode to Buck Owens’ Bakersfield country sound, illustrate how the delightfully varied sounds of The Songs of Doug Sahm come perfectly naturally to this band.
Beginning and ending the album with voicemail recordings of Doug Sahm himself can come across as a bit too sentimental. And Farrar might’ve included at least a bit of historical background info on his decisions of material for inclusion here if only to tacitly encourage further research on the part of those with whom Day Of The Doug resonates.
But the striking front cover graphic is a fitting finishing touch here, especially in combination with a gracious nod on the reverse side to the artist who did similarly vivid and good caricatures for the Sir Douglas Quintet on 1970’s 1+1+1=4. As with the musical performances of Son Volt here, the best intentions come to full fruition.
