Skin Deep Reflections on Bob Dylan’s “Together Through Life”
Listening to a new Bob Dylan album almost always conjures doubt and conflicted feelings, echoes of past greatness, evidence of current greatness, and obvious signs of disintegration, at least it’s been that way for me since 2001′s Love & Theft, which ended up being a pretty decent album all things considered. Dylan’s latest offering Together Through Life was released “by surprise” in April 2009, and offers a similar experience to the one I just described.
In fact, I’m giving the record its fourth listen as I write this, and I still don’t know what to make of it. If you take Together Through Life at its face, you’d find it a breezy, playful venture through blues, Tex-Mex, and New Orleans styles, never getting too serious with the lyrics and throwing in a few instruments one might not equate with Dylan’s music. A light accordion laces much of the album … Read more
