Billy Bragg/Wilco's Guthrie tribute 'Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions' released

Billy Bragg and Wilco

Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions

(Nonesuch)

Grade: B+

When Billy Bragg and Wilco undertook the Mermaid Avenue project, they simply wanted to lead people back to the music of Woody Guthrie. What they actually achieved was so much more – they also helped lead Woody Guthrie back home. Now, almost 14 years after the initial release of Mermaid Avenue, Nonesuch is re-releasing Volumes I and II as part of a set that includes a third volume of previously unreleased songs and "Man in the Sand." The release corresponds with the centennial anniversary of Guthrie's birth and an ever-growing interest in a man whose legacy continues to spread far beyond music.