FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| CD REVIEW BILLY BRAGG & WILCO · Musical collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco using the unrecorded lyrics of Woody Guthrie. Natalie Merchant and Corey Harris also appear. · Fifteen of the 40 new songs made it onto Mermaid Avenue, meaning there should be at least one more album to come. Neither Billy Bragg or Wilco would ever claim to be the biggest fans of Woody Guthrie. In fact, before Bragg stumbled into this project by way of Guthrie's daughter Nora, he knew only a handful of the man's songs. And Wilco? Their music hints at a passing knowledge of Guthrie, but little in the way of reverence for him. And that's a wonderful thing. To their credit and towards the ultimate success of Mermaid Avenue, Bragg and Wilco don't treat Woody's words like Faberge eggs, as would have been the danger with any fan of the grandfather of American folk. Half the time the words - while genuinely unique treasures - are sloppily bundled into the musical equivalent of a dusty burlap sack, where they bump into each other drunkenly, playfully, comfortably, like scuffed and humbled well-worn Buster Browns. From the Wilco-led nonsensical giddiness of "Hoodoo Voodoo" to Bragg's solo take on Woody's ode to Ingrid Bergman, there is no sense of pressure to get things right. The result is 15 timeless tracks which are a greater tribute to the music and testament to the influence of Guthrie than any collection of covers could ever be. These sound like Guthrie songs, but they also sound like Billy Bragg and Wilco songs - songs without an era, genre or any of the other constraints we are wont to do. Mermaid Avenue is a classic that stands on its own without the names and historical baggage of the individuals who helped bring it to life. 5/5 |