Love and Theft - Dylan, Bob (CD 2001)

I was surprised by the presence of this album. It snuck up on me in the record store today, and I decided I could spare the cash to take it home with me. I'm glad I did, because it is what I expected (as much as I didn't expect it) - prime Dylan.

I like this stage in the man's career. His innovative and revolutionary 60s and 70s albums are ingrained in rock history; his uninspired and at times embarrassing forays into Christian rock and bland pop experiments of the 80s and early 90s are over and forgotten. In 1997, he brought things back home with the haunting and acclaimed Time Out Of Mind. As cheesy as the hype was, it was true: Dylan was back.

But what makes this new album so unexpected for me was the fact that 'Mind' sounded like an intended finale to his recording career. The man sounded near-death, the mood was somber, and his lyrics often delt with mortality. To make matters worse, he nearly fell dead to illness the year it was released.

But, to quote his recent Oscar-winning ballad - things have changed. He survived, his latest efforts won him a string of awards, honors & praise, and he began to appreciate himself. Thus, we do get more from the mature Dylan - and hence the appearence of Love and Theft.

And I can't help but like it. There is something about the man's current voice, a tattered and raspy growl, and his laid-back, witty and knowing attitude that makes him more appealing than ever. A deteroirating voice and the tolls that time take usually put lesser careers to death, but they've only made this man stronger - or at least more fascinating.

As far as that raspy growl goes, he really masters it here. His voice had faded considerably over the years, perhaps because he didn't take care of himself, and it could be off-putting on his last album. But he knows how to control it better, and at times (such as the soft ballad "Moonlight"), he manages to get a soothing croon out of it. But most of the time, the rough edge of it works in his favor. This is, after all, sort of a blues record.

Bob is also quite tuneful here. A step away from the slow, lyrically-driven songs on 'Time Out of Mind', he returns to creating bouncy and ironic melodies. This is more song-and-dance Dylan that the folky poet, but his wits and poetic lyrics are still in tact.

In the album's twelve tracks, Dylan seems to be actually touring classic American musical styles. He goes from the twangy folk style he made all his own in the 60s ("Tweedly Dum & Tweedly Dee"), Carl Perkin's style old-fashioned rock'n'roll ("Summer Days"), Hooker-esque classic blues ("Lonesome Day Blues", "High Water"), and soft pop balladry ("Moonlight", "Cry A While"). He's not stretching the boundries of these genras like he might have in his heyday, but he proves that he still knows how to craft an infectious melody. Two of the catchiest, hookiest and most pleasent sounding creations here are "Floater" and "Po' Boy", which strike a perfect balance between rich instrumentation and his brilliantly smokey vocals. So he may not be creating anything revolutionary, but it's all very accomplished. Is there even any innovation left to be made in rock music? I guess you can never forsee that sort of thing, lest you be the innovator, but it is doubtful. And even more doubtful that it would come from Dylan: two full decades of it were more than anybody could have asked for as it is.

So tunefully, he's doing well but not breaking ground. Lyrically, he doesn't seem to have any really deep issues to be working out - but the songs are filled with signature Dylan. You get poetic ramblings, funny observations, delicious irony, and even a knock-knock joke. He's not probing the depth of his soul or making daring social commentary, but he's still a blast to listen to.

One song though, does rank among his finest in recent memory, in terms of melody and lyrics - "Mississippi", which he gave to Sheryl Crow for her last album, and has thankfully put out his own version of here. No surprise that it's a leftover from Time Out Of Mind, as it does seem like a cast-away from that record's mentality. Nevertheless, it gives Love & Theft a little more depth and texture.

Can't close out this review without mentioning the superb backing band here - it's basically Bob's touring band, and it's clear they have gelled quite nicely over time. Perhaps some of the finest instrumentation to back him up, and complimenting his voice perfectly. They definitely deserve a good deal of credit for the album's tight sound.

In the end, Love & Theft is a very succesful album. There are at least four really memorable tunes, and nothing that'd make you reach for the 'skip' button. Critics are already praising it as a masterpiece, but honestly I think they're just happy to hear Dylan on consistantly solid musical ground - Love & Theft really isn't a masterpiece, it's just a very nice piece of work.