Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Bob Dylan is (still to this day) a cultural icon.  Regardless of your personal opinion of him as a person or as an artist, this is a fact.  But as he is approaching seventy and near fifty years as a recording musician, it seems like he releases albums now to appease his fans, not himself (which made him an icon so early in his career, his general I-don't-give-a-fuck-ness).  And this is painfully obvious with his latest release.

I admit.  I am a fan of Bob Dylan and have been for years.  I've listened to his good (Highway 61 Revisited) and bad (the 80s) and "modern" Dylan.  First thing:  the tone of this album is not nearly as heavy as his previous effort (Modern Times).  In fact, the album sounds like it was thrown together in a week.  That is not a negative thing as most musicians would not be able to accomplish such a feat but Dylan and his touring band have been together long enough to make this possible.  Another addition is the co-writing of Robert Hunter (the infamous "additional" member of the Grateful Dead).  And I find this upsetting.  Isn't Dylan supposed to be one of the greatest songwriters of the past half century?  And he needed help to write nine of the ten songs found here on Together Through Life?  Hmpf.

A few listens to the album and it does not have that sense that I will listen to it randomly two years down the road.  There are no real standout tracks.  The only thing that standouts (to me) is the use of the accordion on every, single, track.  Things start out with the latin-ish "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" and then switches up styles to the country twang sound he began to rely upon with Time Out of Mind.  And then there are the blues-sounding tracking (also becoming regular).  The album hits it's ultimate low point on the track "This Dream of You" which sounds like a Jimmy Buffet song reject.  Yes.  It's that bad.

So what is Dylan really trying to accomplish at this point in his life?  He has enough albums (including absolute classic albums) under his belt he can just become the oddball recluse he should have become twenty years ago (I believe it to be a great career choice).  Instead, he decides to release an album that will be forgotten (unless it turns out to be his final album) in two months time.  

Dylan fans, check it out (and shake your head in disappointment).  All others need not apply.

(Side note:  It does have a totally kickass album cover picture)

2.4/5.0