Album Review: Jeff Tweedy - Together At Last

The first gambit of a proposed retrospective series called Loft Acoustic Sessions, Together At Last finds Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy ensconced in the band's fabled Chicago studio, The Loft, and recording solo acoustic versions of songs from his storied back catalogue.

This collection focuses mainly on mid-era Wilco (most songs originally recorded in the four-album run between 1999's Summerteeth and 2007's Sky Blue Sky), plus a couple of tunes from Tweedy side-projects Loose Fur (Laminated Cat) and Golden Smog (Lost Love). Despite the size of their membership, Wilco have long proved to be more than capable of utilising nuance and restraint, and songs like Hummingbird, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart and Muzzle Of Bees all lend themselves perfectly to this stripped-back setting. And while in recent years Via Chicago has morphed into a massive showstopper in the live realm, it works wonderfully here pared back to its essence with Tweedy's beautifully plaintive reading proving as powerful as any full-band arrangement.

With these bare-bone renditions shining the spotlight firmly on Tweedy's soulful, expressive voice and deft acoustic guitar playing, there's nowhere to hide, but both the songs and the performances withstand the closest scrutiny. Looking forward to the next instalment already.