Sunday, Jul. 05, 2009

Wilco's CD delivers

Wilco, "Wilco (The Album)" (Nonesuch)

"Wilco will love ya, baby," the band sings on the rollicking opening track of its seventh studio release, "Wilco (The Album)."

It's tough not to crack a smile, along with a toe tap.

Too bad most of the rest of the record isn't as much fun or interesting.

There are a couple other high points: "Bull Black Nova," a chilling, downright disturbing powerhouse sung from the perspective of an apparent murderer leaving the scene of the crime in his car.

The song has all the elements to develop into a mainstay of Wilco's live shows.

The other highlight, "You Never Know," finds Tweedy taking on the stature as rock's wise man, singing about how "every generation thinks it's the end of the world." But ultimately he can't offer much wisdom, saying, "Yes dream down a well/There's a lone heavy hell/I don't care anymore."

A duet with Feist, the first with a female singer for Wilco, is pleasant enough but falls largely flat. The other songs are mostly pedestrian rockers that could be standouts for average bands but don't meet the high bar established by Wilco on its previous six records.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Wilco (the song)" sounds like something that could have appeared on a fan club-only 45 record back in the '60s. It's a joy, with Tweedy and Wilco reaching out to fans offering a "sonic shoulder to cry on" when times get tough. It's tongue-in-cheek and perfectly sincere at the same time, an anthem for the Wilco community.