Now Playing: 'Shake Shake Mama' from Together Through Life by Bob Dylan

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In his 47-year tenure as a professional musician, Bob Dylan has imposed a series of stylistic modifications on his songwriting style to satiate his muse (he's been “reborn” and born again – as just two examples) but usually by the time those changes are presented to fans, they're so complete, seamless and confidently presented that they're regularly referred to as “comeback” albums – even if the creative ground covered on them is fresh to him. With that common critical approach to the singer's work in mind, Together Through Life will probably be called another “comeback” except that, rather than returning to any particular sound, Dylan has returned to a vibe and emotional centre that he hasn't touched on in a while. Since 1993, the singer has remained in a fairly grim and prophetic mode (the irony of “Love and Theft” being released on September 11, 2001 was a perfect accident) but on Together Through Life Dylan returns to the secular pleasures of musing on the beloved.

From the very opening of “Beyond Here Lies Nothin',” listeners are presented with the image of Bob Dylan as the long-absent Southern gentleman returned home to beg his beloved's forgiveness for being gone so long and, jumping back and forth stylistically between Louisiana-flavored rhythm n' blues and Texas country & western, makes anyone within earshot believe his intentions while simultaneously making them weak in the knees. He plays to both sides of the lover-man card here too; by turns, Dylan drips honey enough to soften up even the hardest, most scorned woman's heart (“My Wife's Home Town,” “I Feel A Change Comin' On” and “This Dream Of You” are fall-down romantic and beautiful) or swaggers and preens like Rhett Butler come to collect his rightly deserved prize (“Beyond Here Lies Nothin',” “Shake Shake Mama,” “Jolene”) but, either way, he obviously wants to make sure there is no doubt that both sides end at love as he enunciates every word in these ten songs to ensure that no mistake can be make about his intent. As it turns out, the title of this album is an accurate descriptor: through thick, thin, good, bad, happy and sad, Bob Dylan and his beloved remain together every step of the way and, in the end, the result matches the beauty of the intention. After over a decade of doom-saying, it feels good to know that Bob Dylan still has a heart.

Artist:
Bob Dylan online
Bob Dylan myspace

Album:
Together Through Life is out now. Buy it now on Amazon .