Together Through Life

by

Bob Dylan

Edit

Journalists are fond of calling the last 3 Dylan albums a "trilogy". At the very least, Together Through Life should lay such notions to rest. By now, Dylan fans should have come to understand their avatar's impulsive & elusive nature. Something as premeditated & pretentious as a "trilogy" is not in the cards. So let's leave that at the door.

No, this isn't another "masterpiece". It casts any such expectations aside like a snake shedding its skin. Dylan mythologists will salivate & proclaim it genius & discerning critics might dismiss it in light of the acclaim Modern Times recieved. But without a doubt, Together is just as inspired as anything he's cut since 1997's Time Out of Mind.

A few things set Together apart. David Hidalgo's accordion lends a definite Tex Mex quality to the proceedings. Where Dylan's previous offerings seemed steeped in the mythology of the Old South, Together gives you the impression of being set in an endless string of Texas boarder towns.

Overall, the production is grittier & more intimate to the point of being nearly claustrophobic. Listen to it through ear phones & you're likely to come away with a different experience than on the stereo.

Another thing that characterizes Together is its obsessive focus on a single theme. These are all love songs. From the romantic abandon of Beyond Here Lies Nothing to the sarcastic resignation of It's All Good, herein lies a long, winding road from infatuation to betrayal, to bitterness to restless farewell.

Highlights include Beyond Here & It's All Good which bookend the album. Both are rollicking & upbeat while still holding on to a brooding intensity. Other standouts are the wistful Dream Of You and My Wife's Home Town which somehow manages to switch hats between humor & anguish. Listen closely & you can hear Dylan chuckle mid song.

Most notable is Life Is Hard. The fragility in Dylan's delivery is for lack of a better word, moving. When he rises from his signature rusty growl to wary heights of his upper register it's enough to put a lump in your throat. As for the likes of Shake Shake Mama, it might come off as filler, till the line, "I get the blues for you baby when I look up at the sun".

Together Through This Life may not be as sprawling & epic compared to what came before. Nor will it have the same milestone impact of Time Out Of Mind. But for this fan, "it's all good" even if it's not proclaimed a masterpiece. At the very least its a solid effort, proving he's still in the saddle & not quite ready to let go of the reigns. I do have the sense however, that on down the line, Together might just prove to be a unique gem in Dylan's formidable 46 album catalogue.

I was born in the early fifties, and grew up with much of Bob Dylan's music. His reputation as a poet, musician, and American musical icon, are well-deserved. Still, it's been a while since he put out an entire album's worth of music I can enjoy listening to, start to finish.

With Together Through Life, Bob Dylan continues to expand his sound, and he has written some terrific, evocative lyrics, which his burlap-wrapped voice complements very well.

So--why only Three Stars? Maybe I've outgrown his music. More likely, though, his music has outgrown me. I miss him in pure singer-songwriter mode, where musical accompaniment--guitar, harmonica, silence, pauses--embellishes his lyrics, punctuating the poetry and prose. For my tastes, all the extra instrumentation here detracts from the music and the messages. And if I close my eyes, I can even sometimes hear Tom Waits, rather than Bob Dylan. Tom's a good guy, but not my cup of tea--thus another star takeaway. That's why I rate this album with only Three Stars.

Long-time Bob Dylan fans continue to enjoy the expanding horizons of his music. Not me. Like his contemporary, Neil Young, I most enjoy the Bob Dylan who plays to the strengths which initially drew me to his music: A beautiful ragged voice and visionary prose, paired with guitar, and spare harmonica. I'd love to hear him return to his roots.