Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

443

Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
There is no overstating how important a Bob Dylan record is, old or new. His records don't just document the times we live in, they are made of life itself. That his music and reputation have survived decades speaks volumes about his gifts. Dylan's lyrics have been the subject of university literature courses and countless scholarly discourses; they have rich meaning; they challenge conventional wisdom; and are fierce in their enduring vitality. They run wide and deep—emotions unconditionally preserved in song.

Dylan's thirty-third studio record, Together Through Life, is one of his straight masterworks. What more appropriate title for his generations of fans than this? Despite coming surprisingly quickly after the majestic Modern Times, (Columbia Records, 2006), that is all right, as masterpieces in rock and roll were never done by people who had too much time on their hands to polish their music endlessly.

There is plenty remarkable about Together Through Life. Incredible on the strengths of its songs alone, some stand among Dylan's finest work, like "Beyond Here Lies Nothin.'" Yet the mood here is dark in its maturity, and most of the time it follows the same dark bluesy streak as Time Out of My Mind (Columbia Records, 1997) and Love and Theft (Columbia Records, 2001).



But beneath its placid surface lay the rugged scars of middle age, when holding onto and cherishing love is a lot more difficult than finding it; the echo of the stray spirits that lurk there wandering through Dylan's songs. And within these spare settings, his search for shelter from the storm resonates like a heartbeat. The genesis of this album can be traced to a yet-to-be-released film, Olivier Dahan's My Own Love Song, to which Dylan contributed the song "Life is Hard." The session proved so relaxed and unhampered that the band continued to record the 10 tracks in quick succession. This record is full of songs that are destined to be memorable, including "If You Ever Go to Houston," "This Dream Of You," "Shake Shake Mama" and, especially, "I Feel A Change Coming On."

Dylan's songwriting, for which he shares a credit on nine songs with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, is blissfully assured, containing some of his most evocative lyrics. There are nice accordion sounds that make their way to several songs and add a nice Tejano sound, suggesting how things might sound were Ry Cooder to produced one of Dylan's records.

It seems that in the last 15 years Dylan has enjoyed one of the most critically acclaimed and productive periods of his career. Together Through Life is definitely a high point and ranks with his very best. In a way, perfection and art don't really collide, but they do communicate and Dylan is, without question, an artist in the true sense of the word. Real art remains even when fashion changes. Beyond that lies nothing.

Track Listing

Beyond Here Lies Nothin'; Life Is Hard; My Wife's Home Town; If You Ever Go To Houston; Forgetful Heart; Jolene; This Dream Of You; Shake Shake Mama; I Feel A Change Comin' On ; It's All Good.

Personnel

Bob Dylan
guitar and vocals

Bob Dylan, guitar, keyboards, vocals; Mike Campbell, guitar, mandolin; David Hidalgo, accordion, guitar; Donnie Herron, steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, trumpet; Tony Garnier, bass guitar; George Recile, drums.

Album information

Title: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Columbia Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.