The 6th Annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will be taking place June 14th-17th. Chicago based band Wilco will be performing at the festival and promoting their new album “Sky Blue Sky.”

“Sky Blue Sky” is Wilco’s sixth studio album, which was released May 15th, 2007.

Since Wilco’s creation in 1994 Wilco started off as alternative country group with their debut album of “A.M.”

In 2002, the band progressed into a more experimental alternative country with much distortion and poppy feel to it with their album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.”

“Sky Blue Sky” is more of a progression from their fifth studio album “A Ghost is Born” with less distortion and more of the contemporary alternative country the band used to display in their 2nd studio album “Being There.”

“Sky Blue Sky” is not as “twangy” as their alternative country CD’s before but definitely a still has that slide guitar twang that country fans love. Critics have compared the album to Neil Young’s “Harvest.”

The overall mood of the album could be classified as a very mellow. One of those albums you would have playing and find entertaining to just sit and listen too.

“Impossible Germany” is easily a song that could be mistaken for a song off of “A Ghost is Born” but takes the listener through a guitar solo that just makes you want to relax.

The Beatles had some influence to their climactic song “Side With the Seeds.” Climactic rises and falls with the guitar makes fans who love Wilco’s distortion want to listen to the song over and over again.

“Sky Blue Sky” is not afraid of exploring the darker and depressing sides of life. The song “Please be Patient With Me” exemplifies this through its’ lyrics. A very slow song with the plucking of an acoustic guitar throughout the song but accompanied by an electric guitar. A soulful song with lyrics that explore the darker places in life but still can make someone smile.

“Walken” starts off with a piano that would make someone do a little jig in the middle of the street while listening to the song on their iPod.

The album is not overproduced and sounds very clean. A problem that “A Ghost is Born” had tendencies was the overproduction of some songs.

Even though Wilco may have gone back to their alternative country sound a little does not take away from the fact they way the band has progressed.

A band that would be enjoyed to listen underneath the sun at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN.