Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue (Elektra)

IF HE WERE around today, it figures that Woody Guthrie would make music that sounds like Dylan and Springsteen, Costello and the Clash. In this "collaboration" with the great American bard, Irish folk singer Billy Bragg and Chicago alt-roots band Wilco follow those paths, and though it might be obvious, it's also appropriate – you don't want to get too fancy here.