Elly Roberts reviews
Bob Dylan: Modern Times
Distributed by
Columbia
- Released: September 2006
- Rating: 6/10
Grumpy Bob Dylan has finally reached pensionable age: he’s sounds like it too.
Maybe he’s finally donning slippers and smoking a pipe.
Modern Times is sometimes a dreary if smooth blend of balladeering
meets country rock cabaret, taking a swipe at the state of the world.
His last offering Love and Theft was a top album; this one lacks any
kind of edge and pioneering moves. Maybe that’s how it’s meant to be.
Considering its protracted five year hiatus, he’s only written ten songs –
that’s two a year since 2001, hardly a prolific rate. Neither is it
challenging or influential, which is what Dylan is supposed to be all about.
There again, Dylan has always done things his way. 1979’s live Bob Dylan At
Budokan was sensational. Then followed his gospel period - Slow Train
Coming and Saved. The Saved tour was a disaster. In 1980, over a
third of the audience at NEC Birmingham walked out in disgust – he was
appalling. It remains the worst gig I’ve ever attended.
This his 33rd studio album in 41 years, not including lives and compilations,
gives the feel of a man about to hang up his guitar and go out to pasture.
Or is he’s just fooling once again?
At times he sounds almost weary, as if writing a new album had become a
necessary evil. If that was the mindset, then he’s approached it in a laid
back manner.
It’s a ‘nice’ album. Pleasant and listenable. One that will quickly be
forgotten. Not one song is under 4 minutes, the longest is 8 minutes plus,
so he’s not in a rush and it’s highly unlikely to spawn one final single
for the UK charts, his last being Things Have Changed in 2000.
It’s totally devoid of a ‘classic’ song. His band Tony Garnier, George
G. Receli, Stu Kimball, Denny Freeman and Donnie Herron are perfect for this
type of stuff. Dylan’s voice has not exactly been the best, but ironically,
it suits the material.
Thunder In The Mountains sounds promising with its bluesy picks and
riffs, thereafter it becomes a tad middling. Perky country rocker Rollin’
and Tumblin’ sounds like a Mark Knopfler ditty, with the shuffling
Someday Baby as equally upbeat, as ‘upbeat’ goes here. Plodders
Workingman’s Blues No.2 and Nettie Moore are followed by more
country cabaret on bluesy The Levee’s Gonna Break.
Dylan’s creaky vocals marry well on closer Ain’t Talkin’ rounding
off nothing more than, in reality, averageness.
Best track - Spirit On The Water.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.