Post by jptheprofessor on Sept 21, 2006 17:03:07 GMT -5
BOB DYLAN – MODERN TIMES (Columbia) By now, what else can be said that hasn’t already been said and documented about Bob Dylan? A folk-rock pioneer and icon. A charismatic performer. A sagely songwriter, commentator and philosopher. Dylan changed the landscape of popular music forever through his long career and extensive body of work. And yet he still ignites a spark. On his latest studio album, Modern Times, Dylan has percolated his various musical indulgences, lifetime lessons and experiences into a timeless set of sounds unquestionably his own. Through the album’s ten tracks, Dylan touches on themes of women, love, spirituality, war, mortality, society, life in general and more; along a musical backdrop that bounces between folk, rockabilly, jazz, blues, roots music and more. Listening to Dylan’s latest lyrical musings is like listening to one’s father or grandfather offering sagely wisdom while leafing through the daily newspaper on the back porch. Dylan is fired up on the rowdy rockabilly album opener “Thunder on the Mountain,” as he ponders troubled modern times, the coming day of reckoning, and where his own soul stands in relation to both. On the gentle shuffle “Spirit On The Water,” Dylan defies his sweetheart to keep up with him in spite of his years and experience. Several times on the album, Dylan borrows and retells musical stories, spinning them from obvious sources and giving them his own new chapters. One example is “Rollin’ and Tumblin,’” where Dylan borrows Muddy Waters’ original vehicle to muse about temptation and where it leads. Another is “The Levee’s Gonna Break,” tapping the same 1920’s Memphis Minnie source song that informed Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks;” Dylan reworks the song into his own study of doom and renewal. Dylan’s production captures his tradition and essence, warts and all. His voice is what it is; raspy, nasal, sometimes clear, sometimes muttered, sometimes rushed, and all culminating in his own unique cadence. His band is seasoned and spontaneous, comfortably executing on the fly to enhance whatever mood and vibe the master is trying to convey at the given moment. This is a relaxed, at ease album. And it should be; Bob Dylan long ago reached the point where he doesn’t need to conform to modern times; they conform to him. And that is what comes through most on Modern Times; Dylan doing it his own way without heeding current trends or convention, and ultimately still making music that matters. Repeated listens reveal that Modern Times isn’t just an album; it is an education from a wise master, philosopher, poet and storyteller.