Although image fades, talent never goes out of style

By: Dave Arey

Posted: 8/29/06

Bob Dylan

Modern Times

90 Decibels

Sounds Like: …Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is a man of many words, but "Thunder on the Mountain," the first track of his 44th album, begins not with words, but with a scattered guitar solo. Drums, piano and guitar move along at a blistering pace, and when his weathered voice enters, he can barely keep up. This is not Bob Dylan the activist, troubadour or drugged out beatnik. Instead, the intimacy and ferociousness of many songs suggests a bar musician in the Bayou, which is fitting.

Dylan lived in New Orleans many times during his career, soaking up both the music and nightlife. Given this, it is easy to see "Modern Times" as a record about the city, especially given the imagery in "The Levee's Gonna Break." However, this is not a topical album like "The Times They Are A-Changin'." Instead of pointing fingers, "Levee" examines a life inundated with more than just weather, and other cuts are filled with vague longings typical of blues songs.

If his material is not wholly original, Dylan instills it with tremendous amounts of vibrancy. His hoarse voice, which seems seconds from leaving him, fits the songs perfectly. The lapses in tone, which initially sound like mistakes, instead come to resemble a distinct sound. Even with his many imitators, no one sounds exactly like him.

One myth about Dylan is his new songs never come close to his old ones, but this is not true. "To Make You Feel My Love," off of 1997's "Time Out of Mind," is as good as any relationship song on "Blood on the Tracks." In the same way, "Thunder on the Mountain" and "The Levee's Gonna Break" fit in with the liveliest cuts on "Highway 61 Revisited."

Any reluctance to enjoy Dylan's new songs is not rooted in their lack of quality, but in their lack of message. The political strife in the world has left a vacuum, and no amount of Conor Oberst singing "When the President Talks to God" can fill the protest-singer shoes of the old Dylan. However, that Dylan is dead, and we are not likely to see the activist, troubadour or drugged out beatnik again. As the song says, he used to care, but things have changed.