MUSIC REVIEW: TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE

June 25, 2009

By Joey Krall, 15

Together Through Life

Bob Dylan

April 2009, Columbia

 

They don’t waste time — as the snare drum cracks, the band kicks into a New Orleans blues. It's music for late nights, music for dancing. The rhythm section sways, the guitar plays some fiery riffs and an accordion wheezes in the background. The tune sounds old and familiar. But suddenly, a thin, raspy voice punches out of the dimness: “Oh well, I love you, pretty baby . . .” This is Bob Dylan singing "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" from his new record, Together Through Life. 

 

Over the past decade, Dylan has played traditional American music, some of which hasn'tbeen played for 75 years — sentimental popular song, rambling blues and eerie folk. His voice has become intense and confident, and his lyrics have grown long and sprawling, ranging from sarcasm to regret to wisdom within a single song. On his last three records — Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft, and Modern Times — he has played some strange, compelling music, unlike anyone else today.

Together Through Life is something different. Writing with lyricist Robert Hunter (The Grateful Dead), Dylan plays a set of straightforward rockers, tackling romance in "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" ("We'll keep on lovin', pretty baby, / For as long as love will last") and then heartache in "Life is Hard" ("I walk the boulevard, / admitting life is hard / Without you near me"). Dylan freely steals words and melodies from blues and country standards; only his wry, twistedvoice distinguishes them as his own.

 

What's truly surprising is how often he stays away from the microphone altogether. Since playing with his first bands in the '60s, Dylan has become known for driving his bands with his relentless voice. It's fun to hear him pull back and jam with his all-star band, which includes Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) on electric guitar and David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) on accordion. The band sounds like it's playing in a hot, crowded cellar bar, feelingrelaxed and laid back.

 

Dylan's career spans nearly 50 years. He's been hailed as a poet and prophet, only to disappoint his worshippers with unrepentantly down-to-earth records like this one. Together Through Life is all about good times and doesn't try to be some perfect dream record. "Dreams never did work for me anyway," Dylan sings on "I Feel a Change Comin' On." "Even when they did come true."

 

 I recommend Together Through Life for its warmth and humor, and above all for Dylan himself. After decades of writing and singing, he's too smart to be too serious.