Billy Bragg & Wilco
Mermaid Avenue
Elektra

An interesting idea: take a bunch of Woody Guthrie's lyrics that never had music behind them and give them a sound they never had. Billy Bragg was a perfect choice in that his leftist leanings and songs are direct descendants of Woody's. Wilco was also a perfect choice in that the band (rising out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo) have the roots chops to make sure Woody's original vision and sound are not lost in a 90's studio setting. But putting Wilco's roots country sound and Billy Bragg's geezer folk together could have been a disaster. Thank god it works so well. This album has a reverential sound without getting lost in hero worship. The songs bounce back and forth between Billy's Brit croak and Jeff Tweedy's strained vocals (with a bit of help from Natalie Merchant). But all the tracks are full of life, very fun, and true to Woody Guthrie's vision. A wonderfully twangy look forward at the roots of folk/country music.

-Tommy S.

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