Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (1998)

Nora Guthrie, daughter of American folk legend Woody Guthrie, approached English folkist Billy Bragg to create music on stack of his father's lyrics that were left without any note. Bragg then invited American alternative-country band Wilco to join him. Their collaboration resulted in a folk rock masterpiece titled Mermaid Avenue. Bragg and Wilco turned Guthrie's words into life as if Guthrie's ghost was in the studio with them. Bragg's numbers are more folkish while Wilco's are more twangy. Bragg's old friend Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs had a great vocal take on "Birds and Ships". A