The Foo Fighters are a prime example of a phoenix risen from musical ashes. It was following the death of Kurt Cobain and the subsequent demise of Nirvana that the Foo Fighters emerged. In most cases, bands fold to deaths or spawn comically unsuccessful solo artists.

There was no Led Zeppelin reincarnation following the death of powerhouse drummer John Bonham. Likewise, there is the comic post-Skid Row career of Sebastian Bach, who claims he still has a No. 1 single because Power Ballads hit No. 1. So, needless to say, coming out of the remains of the most influential band of the '90s and one of the most influential of all time, the Foo Fighters have more than made a name for themselves. So what do established rock bands do? They release a live album.

Skin and Bones makes use of tracks lifted from the Foo Fighters' acclaimed acoustic tour from last year and are mostly reinventions of previous Foo Fighter staples.

For any band, the concept of the live album is a risky one — no one wants to listen to a carbon copy of an album's studio counterpart. A good reference here would be The Live Era from Guns' N' Roses (forgive me Slash, but Axl's ranting killed it). Another pitfall would be an album featuring songs that are radical departures from the originals — this is enough to send listeners reeling without any traction. Any Duran Duran live effort will work for the illustration of this point. Peter Frampton is excluded from both of these, since nobody knew him before Frampton Comes Alive. But everyone wants to burn the album now.

Skin and Bones manages to hit that happy median between the two extremes. The songs are restructured enough to revive interest in them while still retaining the qualities that made them memorable to begin with.

Unlike stereotypical live albums that function more as greatest hits compilations, Skin and Bones showcases a unique selection of songs. In the case of the Foo Fighters, lesser-known songs are intermingled with their well-traveled classics. Some of the band's stronger, less-celebrated material is given a second chance to take hold of the listener in live form. Songs like "February Stars" and "Next Year" are not only perfectly suited for an acoustic rendition, but are two of the strongest songs the Foo Fighters have made. Longtime fans will be happy to see new versions of "Everlong," "Times Like These" and "My Hero."

One of the things that Dave Grohl did so well following the demise of Nirvana was keeping a comfortable distance from the band's legacy. He never denied it, but at the same time, did not milk it for the success of his new band. Most of the early songs the Foo Fighters released were light-hearted and featured catchy pop hooks. Who can forget the great song and Mentos parody video for "Big Me?" This was a fairly large departure from the "I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black" days of Nirvana.

Surprisingly, Skin and Bones offers a curious move by Grohl — a Nirvana cover. "Marigold," a B-side to "Heart-Shaped Box" makes a well-placed appearance on the album. With the help of a guest appearance by Pat Smear, former Nirvana and original Foo Fighters' guitarist, "Marigold" becomes a musical and nostalgic gem of the album.

"Best of You," one of the band's heavier songs, seems like an unlikely choice to enter the acoustic realm, considering so much of the song's energy is within the hard-hitting guitars, but Grohl does a great job of preserving the frantic pitch of the original version of the song through his wailings. The high energy of the vocals and the mellowed-out acoustic guitars create a multi-faceted song. However, on the heavier songs, with the exception "Best of You," Grohl wavers slightly.

On "My Hero," arguably their best-known song, Grohl sounds confused in his vocals. He falters between the high-energy vocals of the original and the mellowing sound of the acoustic backing. The result is manic-depressive vocals set amid uncomfortable highs and lows that leave the listener feeling disconnected. "Everlong" suffers the same fate. When Grohl commits himself to one style or the other throughout the entire song, he finds success.

In retrospect, perhaps there is a third category to the live album — the "we-don't-have-any-new-material-so-here's-a live-album" category. Maybe Skin and Bones falls into this niche. Even if it does, it is done much better than past live albums. Much better than, say, Swallow This Live by Poison.

Grade: 3 of 5.