Release Date: May 27, 2022
Label: dBpm Records
From the label: Cruel Country is comprised, almost entirely, of live takes, with just a handful of overdubs, and is by Jeff Tweedy’s own definition, the band’s first Country music album.
This feels like fresh territory for Wilco. The album opens with I Am My Mother, a waltz about an immigrant’s hopes and roots. On Tired of Taking It Out On You, Tweedy’s vocals unwind over muted percussion, electric and acoustic guitar, and the honeyed twang of lap steel. Cruel Country is composed of plaintive, rustic ballads, with an occasional detours to Bakersfield country. That propulsive train-track rhythm and chicken-picking is all over Falling Apart (Right Now) one of only a handful of songs to feature a guitar solo. A Lifetime to Find is a high-stepping honky-tonk jaunt with sweet steel guitar and prettily ragged harmony singing. Check out the sinister rock riff on Mystery Binds!
Not a GMR artist!
FCC: None
Listen to: 1, 9, 14, 17, & 19
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