Wilco

Seven years before guitarist Jay Bennett left and long before singer Jeff Tweedy decided to go indie rock, Wilco gave alt country a golden crown and scepter in the form of this sophomore double album. The band's chemistry was at such a peak on these sessions that no alt country rockers since have come close to touching the album's perfection -- not even Ryan Adams.

A funny thing happened to singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy on the way to cult stardom. As a
member of Uncle Tupelo, a band of Midwestern small-town teens that initially took its cue
from '80s punk, he discovered Merle Haggard, the Louvin Brothers, Hank Williams Sr. and
Gram Parsons, the patron saints of roots rock, country division. And with the zeal of a true
disciple, Tweedy – together with Tupelo's co-founder, singer/songwriter Jay Fa... More >

Is a two-CD package that could fit onto one conning consumers, taking on airs, or wallowing in nostalgia for a lost time when songs were songs and double albums were double albums? All three. Yet there's no point denying Jeff Tweedy's achievement as long as you recognize its insularity. His simple melodies, felt vocals, and easy stylistic sweep all evoke a past when roots music came naturally, from bluegrass to the Rolling Stones--a past he preserves by removing it to the privacy of his head and your sound system. There's no dynamism to his music--the rockers are slackers, the hooks essentially atmospheric. Yet as objects of contemplation both have their power and charm. (Grade - B+)