Oh me, oh my...,it's Sky Blue Sky!!

Wilco, with its latest release, Sky Blue Sky, has taken another major step forward in their career but in an unusual way: by going backward. After the impressionistic, bring-the-noise soundscapes of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot & A Ghost Is Born (still love both albums, BTW), the more classic rock-oriented vibe of Sky Blue Sky might seem like a major letdown. But in the long run, this is still an awesome Wilco album & Jeff Tweedy is still one of the best flippin' songwriters around, yes, even now.

Another feature of Sky Blue Sky which might take some YHF & AGIB lovers aback is the mellow, laid-back vibe each song carries with it. But after Wilco's excursions into folk, a wee bit of electronic music, psychedelic & even Krautrock on the last two releases, this is a very welcome return to greener pastures. It's not that Tweedy & co. left the greener pastures behind on YHF & AGIB at all; there's a brighter ray of hope shining through this time around, however, which makes Sky Blue Sky such a warm & intimate album to love, even though it may take repeat listens to fully appreciate.

The opening track, "Either Way," is confirmation that things are more hopeful, that things are starting to look up - minus any barbed, cryptical punchlines. And if there are any defining moments which make SBS such a great album, it would be the centerpiece of the whole affair, "Impossible Germany." Talk about guitar heaven; this is as good as a 3-guitar attack gets when the sparks fly just right & the tape rolls merrily in the studio. Like an odd cross between Television, Steely Dan & Sonic Youth, "Impossible Germany" is one of my favorite tracks on the whole CD. With several dudes playing together in a room, you can feel the vibe just jumping out of the speakers, reminiscent of anything recorded during the late 60s-early 70s.

And the classic-rock connections are made in spades throughout: "Walken" channels Little Feat; "Shake It Off'" & "You Are My Face" recall the Grateful Dead at their early-7os peak (I think Tweedy's been listening to a little Pavement on the side as well...lol). The closer, "On and On and On" is one of Tweedy's brightest moments & at the same time one of the most gripping Wilco songs I ever have heard in an eternity due to its heartfelt delivery.

In the final analysis, Sky Blue Sky is one of Wilco's most enduring releases yet & another powerful document on why Jeff Tweedy & gang are still a force to be reckoned with in popular music. Not only that, but this is also the sound of a group which has arrived & finally come into its own musically. That much is beyond question. And equally enough reason to explain why this is one of the best releases of 2007.