Bob Dylan - Together Through Life (Columbia Records)
Available now (CD/Digital Download)
'Together Through Life', comes relatively hot on the heels of 2006's 'Modern Times' - the first of Dylan's 33 studio albums to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard album charts, cementing a critical and commercial return to power that began almost a decade earlier with the superb 'Time Out Of Mind'.
The album finds Bob sounding sprightly and rejuvenated behind his now-trademark growl, and while detractors may point out that 'Together Through Life' is simply a continuation of the last two blues-heavy sets, it is both musically looser and more sharply focussed than it's predeccessors. Clocking in at 49 minutes, it is concise, boisterous and thoroughly engaging. Los Lobos legend David Hidalgo's accordion is a welcome (if slightly overused) addition to the mix, punctuating the largely upbeat arrangements with evocative flourishes.
Lyrically, gallows humor is something of a staple, Dylan cackling to himself (literally on the Willie Dixon aping 'My Wife's Home Town' and the ironic album closer 'It's All Good') as the world collapses around him. But the album isn't a depressing or difficult listen by any means. On the contrary, it comes off as a particularly effortless, easy-flowing set: extremely enjoyable, with moments of genius. The beautiful 'Life Is Hard' is his best ballad in years, sad and sweet, with a particularly excellent vocal performance from Bob as he laments 'My dreams are locked and barred / admitting life is hard / without you near me'. Anyone who thinks these sentiments would jar alongside goodtime stomps like 'Shake Shake Mama' in which our hero urges his woman to shake it 'like a ship going out to see' may find themselves surprised.
47 years after his debut, Bob Dylan is still a force to be reckoned with both in terms of songwriting and performance. On 'Together Through Life' he sounds to be having a hell of a good time, at ease with his place in the world. A thoroughly enjoyable album, and an excellent addition to one of the greatest discographies in music.
- Michael
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