I've spent four days listening to it because I just wasn't sure how to review this. Is is possible for Dylan to put out an average album? I know it was possible in the 80's and 90's, when he went through his "please stop paying attention to me" phase and let his record label control his sound. But this decade has been too good to him. He has only released three records in 15 years, but they were all masterpieces, and Love & Theft actually stands alongside Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde, and Blood On The Tracks as his best work.
This career redemption can't last forever. Every song on Together Through Life reminds me of a better song he's done on his past few records. "Life Is Hard" is a dragging, unclimatic version of "Bye And Bye". "My Wife's Home Town" is "Someday Baby" with less hooks and wit. "Jolene" is about half as catchy as "Lonesome Day Blues". I could go on...
The accordion work and the light guitar riffs by Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fame) make the album a pleasant listen, but the songs themselves are unmemorable. It's a worthwhile listen it you already have worn out the rest of his catalog, but don't get too excited about this one.
May is an interesting month, as Eminem attempts a comeback and Green Day attempt to rescue mainstream rock music (again). Have a good weekend.
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