What happened to the acoustic live album? Did the idea just go stale? Did no one want to bother trying to outdo Nirvana? Whatever it was, there’s been a disappointing lack of unplugged collections (let alone good ones) this past decade, and The Foo Fighters have finally decided to do something about it.

After the electric/acoustic split of In Your Honor, the coming of an acoustic live album was almost inevitable, and six of Skin and Bones’ fifteen tracks are taken from Honor. But like Nirvana’s acoustic gig before them, Grohl and company’s performances go for a little something extra this time around, too. “Over and Out” gets the Jon Brion treatment with some eerie vibraphone action, “Everlong” goes a little less grunge and a little more late-night-smoky-coffeehouse, and the addition of the brand new title track is just as welcome. And, of course, what would any live album be without the obligatory whoops, hollers, and “we love you!”s from the audience?

Despite a somewhat forced run-through of “Best of You” (mediocre, heavily rock-leaning hit + acoustic instruments = mediocre, awkwardly out-of-place acoustic song) and the absence of "Learn to Fly" (think about it - wouldn't it make a great acoustic song?), Skin and Bones is a much-needed refresher in a fairly exhausted line of live and unplugged albums alike. If the album was nothing more than mediocre, it’d deserve at least one or two listens just for curiosity’s sake, but it's The Foo Fighters’ well-executed performances that make Skin and Bones well worth the purchase.