MojoLists

Growing up in the 70's I remember listening to the radio, usually in the car, while my mother hauled us around on her daily errands. I knew all the words to the popular songs, even the really bad ones. It wasn't until I moved past my heavy metal phase, then my new wave phase, that I began to venture into new musical ground. The blues, folk and jazz  started to find their way into my collection and I found myself eventually looking at older musicians. That is where I discovered, to my amazement that a rather large percentage of the music I remember from the 70's could be contributed to one man...and it wasn't Paul Williams.

All Along the Watchtower, Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin' in the Wind, Lay Lady Lay, Knockin' on Heaven's Door... They were all songs I loved but I never knew they were the work of one man, Bob Dylan, a man that up until this point, I had dismissed as a wack-job from the 60's with a voice that, well, I could never even make out what he was saying back then.

Initially I preferred the versions I heard from Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and others, hell, everyone had done a cover of Bob's tunes somewhere along the line. Eventually I became drawn into the soulful. emotional and heartfelt versions Bob did on his own. Then I started to listen to his less than spectacular shots of the 80's and 90's. There was always a spark of genius but little more.

Then in 1997 Time Out of Mind came out and Bob Dylan had changed. The music was wider, deeper and more soulful than all but his earliest work. I was hooked again and in 2006 Modern Times shared equal time in my car CD with Tom Petty's Highway Companion for nearly a year. It was a masterpiece that I couldn't get enough of.

On May 5th, Dylan's new work, Together Through Life came out, I have listened to it several times already and although I find it a slight step back from Modern Times, I am far from disappointed. Dylan delves into a darker place here, brushing closer to death than before, both the idea of his mortality and the loss of others. If You Ever go to Houston and My Wife's Home Town look at murder, either barely escaped or heavily threatened. Life is Hard and Forgetful Heart come from a nearness to the grave and a you get a sense that Bob can feel the icy breath of death on the back of his neck.

Together Through Life includes more southern style accordion than his previous work and it is provided by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo while Tom Petty's, Mike Campbell sets the mood with his amazing talent on guitar.

Together Through Life may not make it through a year in my car but it will likely get me through the summer. Pick it up along with any of the last 4 Dylan albums and you will quickly understand why Bob Dylan retains the crown as both poet and songwriter. Besides, when I listen to Bob now, I can always understand what he is saying.