Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
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Free Music Notes for Together Through Life
Free Music Review: S'ALL GOOD
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: together again
Hit: 5 Stars
bob has been on a roll. after the (mostly) lost decade of the 1980's, and the truly terrifying Under The Red Sky, he returned with two folk & blues collections: Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong that really served to remind the world that dylan was still here.
a few years later, he released Time Out of Mind, followed a few years later by "Love and Theft", and Modern Times. these are among my favorite dylan records, right up there with Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks.
Together Through Life is a different animal. some of the songs sound as if they were tossed off in a day or two. (and, as always with dylan, that may be the case.) while i found this record to be a bit of a let down compared to the previous three, the highlights more than make up for it's shortcomings.
"Jolene" was an early favorite, as was "My Wife's Home Town". "If You Ever Go To Houston" grows on you after a few listens, as does "Shake Shake Mama".
I've never gotten the hang of "Forgetful Heart" or "It's All Good". "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" and "This Dream Of You" are both great songs, but sometimes they fail to keep my attention.
So why did I give this record 5 stars? 'Cause it's Dylan! Relax and have a drink, dude. Even Dylan at his most mediocre is head and shoulders above the rest.
Free Music Review: OH YES, JACK FROST IS STILL THE BEST ----OH NO ZYDECO!?
Hit: 5 Stars
I have a hard time with accordians. In small doses they can make great music, but sometimes they rag my nerves, and give the music a sense of cheapness (just my opinion). Bob Dylan in the Jack Frost years has been celebrating roots music. I am a huge fan of everything he has been doing since 2001, and this album is no exception, his gutteral, coarse deliveries on these songs is as pure and infectious as on the last albums... even though accordians are tough for me to take.
Seems like Dylan and crew were looking for that Zydeco groove this time around. I've gone to Rythym and Roots festivals in the past and have seen this breed, zydeco is a big part of what I call "heritage music." To me though, its not much different than polka. again, in small doses accordians can give alot to a song,,, in the opening track BEYOND HERE LIES NOTHING from this album, the accordian presents a strong, somewhat dark undertone, that I completely dig, but on several other tracks the accordian jumps into the front of things and completely zydecos it up. I cant help but yell cheese at it sometimes, and other times I have visions of the italian restraunt owner playing nice for the Lady and the Tramp. Producer Jack Frost knows whats up and how he does, its all good.
For me the tracks free of accordian are the albums strongest... FORGETFUL HEART, JOLENE and SHAKE SHAKE MAMA are great... The rest of this album will have to grow on me, but that doesn't mean I dont appreciate how together it sounds. Its more of a collaboritive thing happening here, with Dylan and his band, really soaking up the roots of zydeco and blues. The accordian stuff is a little bit distracting for me, but it hasn't in any way shirked me as a fan of Jack Frost era Dylan. I think my love can grow. THIS DREAM OF YOU channels some good old feelings as well as I FEEL A CHANGE. Jack Frost IS rock and roll. Keep it coming Frost! BTW, its good to see Robert Hunter still writing too....
Free Music Review: Don't panic folks, there's a change comin' on!
Hit: 5 Stars
Bob Dylan never stops. Period. And this is something to be proud of. Not only he's managed to deliver three albums of brand-new material this decade but he's dutifully played countless concerts everywhere so we all could see what he's been up to.
And Bob Dylan likes a little change, doesn't he? Some of his classics are beyond recognition when played live. As for myself, I had a hard time recognizing err... Blowin' In The Wind last year!!!
And Together Through Life is no exception when it clearly brings a feeling of change as our Jack Frost dives even deeper into the past. The production is great making the music flow with great ease and spontaneity and, apart from singing and playing guitar and keyboards, Dylan is accompanied by five great little musicians on this album: Mike Campbell plays guitar & mandolin; David Hildago, accordion & guitar; Donny Heron, steel guitar, banjo, mandolin & trumpet; Tony Garnier, bass; George Recile, drums. They all feel relaxed, probably enjoying what the master has to say in songs such as It's All Good, Forgetful Heart, I Feel A Change Comin' On and Beyond Here Lies Nothin'.
So is this a definite shift from previous albums? Yes. And why not? Dylan is just digging deeper into muddy Mississippi waters and, by doing so, things became simpler, just like rock and blues were before the sixties came along. People seem to be panicking all over the place trying to figure out whether this is a classic or not. Shouldn't we just enjoy the fact which unites us all? This being Dylan's vitality.
I praise him for that.
Free Music Review: It's all good, really!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Modern times" was the first Bob Dylan album I owned and I loved it. Unlike the Folkier direction of that effort, "Together through life" is Bluesier, and finds Dylan headed South of the border as the album has a Mexican tinge, thanks in part to the presence of Dave Hidalgo of Los Lobos on accordion. Like its predecessor, it features just 10 tracks, produced by Jack Frost (Dylan using a pseudonym) who also produced that disc.
Opening is the catchy upbeat Bluesy "Beyond here lies nothin'" with Hidalgo's accordion on display. "Life is hard" is a beautiful shuffling ballad with tumbling guitar sounds and an almost Jazzy feel. Apparently written for an upcoming movie "My Own Love Song", it conjurs images of walking down cobbled Parisian streets. Beautiful! This opening pair are my favourites.
Everything is great really; "My wife's home town" is gritty Southern Blues ("I just want to say that Hell is my wife's hometown" go the humorous lyrics in part), while "If you ever go to Houston" is a swinging song with a Country feel. The beautiful Blues "Forgetful heart", "Jolene" (not the Dolly Parton hit but a Blues joint), the ballad "This dream is for you", the retro sounding "Shake shake mama", the beautiful ballad "I feel a change comin' on" with pensive lyrics, and closing cut the rocking "It's all good".
His craggy vocals still hold up quite well (see his careful phrasing and high and low notes on "Life is hard"), and his lyrics as literal as ever. Great guitar playing as well. This album just gets better and better the more I play it. Another winner!