Billy and Wilco make songs out of unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics.
And that's the story of what you're going to get: some folksy sentiments, some Wilco indie-country-indie, and a lot of general mismatch and hodgepodgery. Wilco sounds shackled to the format, the lyrics' personal impact is undercut by the guest-writer/performer format, and the whole thing feels awkwardly reanimated. I've never found collaborations between greats to work, from the Travelling Wilburys to the New Basement Tapes - tight-knit vision makes for the best rock.
Exceptions for lyrics that are so damn good they just carry the project. Walt Whitman's Neice is endlessly, wryly witty, and Unwelcome Guest is quietly devastating. And well, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key's just plain pretty as hell. But in between there's a whole lot that just feels unnecessary 3/5
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