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Having been a fan of Dylan since the Highway 61 Revisited days, I would say that this is one of his best recorded efforts in over two decades. The songs on Time Out of Mind are all new original compositions, the first in seven years. On the new release, it's clear that Dylan still has the touch. His poetry is superb with simple effective story lines with a cadence and delivery only Dylan himself could pull off. His melodies are infectious and haunting as ever thanks to the genius of producer Daniel Lanois. The two are a perfect match with Dylan's broken-glass-and-gra,vel throttled vocals and the unmistakable trademark sound of Lanois,... dreamy, dark, and mysterious. The voice works well with the bittersweet love songs that he's been penning these days, even if a few of the high notes we once heard, are no longer evident in Dylan's maturing voice. Lanois adds a touch of Cajun flavored ambiance with superb guitar work on every track. It's raw music with angst, yet retains a freshness and urgency that only someone with Lanois' skills could balance. The album actually seems like two records mixed together. Half the songs compare to the introspective plaintive compositions that we witnessed on Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde. The other half are simple 12-bar blues that often sound as if Bob is making them up as he goes. (Columbia seems to be all too aware of this duality; the songs are sequenced like Beethoven's Symphonies in such a manner that all the odd-numbered songs are of the first variety and the even-numbered songs of the second. ) As opposed to the rhythm-heavy mixes that are so common today, the drums on the new CD are so subdued as to be barely present. The guitars of Lanois and Dylan juxtaposed against Augie Meyer's Hammond B-3 and Vox combo organ create a dreamy mix of vintage R&B and bare-bones rock cadences that create the somber mood of the album, providing the perfect vehicle for Dylan's stories of lost loves and tainted lives. The best reward is that we get a sampling of Bob's recent writing -- the first since Under the Red Sky was released seven years ago. Dylan's songs are superb with a good chunk of the CD revolving around Dylan's personal experiences with the sadness and disappointment that goes hand in hand with being alive and being in love. Dylan says that he's "sick of love." He tells some nameless former lover that "you broke a heart that loved you" and "I wish I knew what it was that keeps me loving you so." He astutely points out that "just when you think that you lost everything, you find out you can always lose a little more." Not surprisingly, Dylan touches upon the topic of mortality often on the new CD. In songs such as "Trying to Get to Heaven" and "Not Dark Yet," he shares his thoughts on the topic. In the latter, he says, "I was born here and I'll die here against my will, I know it looks like I'm moving but I'm standing still... I don't even hear the murmur of a prayer, it's not dark yet but it's gettin' there." Time Out of Mind wraps up with "Highlands," one of album's raw plaintiff blues narratives. The song has its moments (the dialog between the narrator and a narcissistic waitress is truly amusing), however, 16 minutes of this sort of thing can get to be a bit much. But, hey, I'm not complaining. I'm just glad to have the CD in my possession and in my CD player. Even though it's Dylan's album, it's the strong musical presence of Lanois that make it shine. His signature production techniques are well presented and Bob is a lucky fellow for having the insight to procure his talents on this superb disc. Highly recommended. |
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Bob Dylan
