Rough And Rowdy Ways - Bob Dylan: Review
is a legendary singer-songwriter whose name and music is synonymous with the American folk movement of the 1960's. Responsible for records like Highway 51 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde and Blood On The Tracks his music needs no introduction at this point. Rough And Rowdy Ways is his first record of new material since 2012 after brandishing a handful of covers records throughout the 2010's.
Review By Lavender:
Dylan's classic songs and records would take ages to cover in an introduction like this. What is almost as impressive is that since his heyday he has managed to show up and drop some solid projects well into his later years. The 90's had Time Out Of Mind and the 2000's had Modern Times but in the 2010's I wasn't quite as enthralled with his output. Primarily because the numerous disks worth of covers not only sold his songwriting talent short but also exhausted the well of great songs he was willing to perform. I was curious and excited to jump into his first set of original songs in years after some unique singles, and now that the record is here I have to say it is honestly pretty good.
The record kicks off with two of its singles and I think they are both solid tunes. I Contain Multitudes gets the record off to a good start with a 4 minute track full of references meant to speak to the emotional versatility of Dylan as a person and a songwriter. The instrumental is tame but works as both a taste test for the record and a palette for Dylan's songwriting. False Prophet follows this with a much bluesier electric guitar riff. The song is a pretty slick and witty set of through provoking lyricism marked by attitude heavy verses. Dylan impresses once again and comes through with some great lyrical moments my favorite of the bunch being his self-referential line "I'm nothing like my ghostly appearance would suggest".
The highlights don't stop here either. I've Made My Mind Up To Give Myself To You is the sweetest song of the bunch both lyrically and instrumentally. The track's love focused lyricism works really well with the rising swell of the instrumentation although the track is a little bit long at 6 minutes with a couple os instrumental passages between verses. Goodbye Jimmy Reed is a track I liked a lot with its bouncy blues rock riff and slick 70's guitar rock mannerisms. There is even some brief return to the harmonize on the track that all fits really well with Dylan's retrospective lyrics. Mother Of Muses is one of the only songs here where I'm not really sure what the over-arching lyrical theme is. Despite this Dylan's smokey voiced delivery pulls off a few charming and unique lyrical moments on the song as well. The song is also boosted big time by one of the best and most versatile instrumentals the record has to offer. While it does stick within the world of conventional folk music is manages to stay very refreshing throughout.
The first disk of the record ends off with two of the records longest tracks and I enjoy them both a lot. Crossing The Rubicon is another song I like with some more fun guitar work that pairs well with the dramatic rising and swelling of the songs lyrical content. I think the symbolism of crossing the Rubicon is executed well and the spiritual references throughout are supportive of the core in a way that only a veteran songwriter can pull off. Key West may be the best song on the entire record and it sees classic Dylan personifying a place like Key West. All the imagery and thematic consciousness he applies to it is really interesting and of all the tracks here this is the one that feels the most like it could have fit into Dylan's heyday and I just can't get enough of it.
My Own Version Of You has a really interesting lyrical concept of trying to build somebody from scratch with a bunch of features from different people. The instrumental is a touch flat but it isn't completely miserable as it actually manages to rise at the right moments. Black Rider is one of the least exciting songs here for a couple reasons. The instrumental doesn't do much for me and a lot of the lyrical focus doesn't seem to come off as cool as I think it was intended to. The track isn't terrible but it really fails to standout.
The lead single and closing track Murder Most Foul was difficult to judge for a couple of reasons. Firstly it is listed as a completely separate disc from the rest of the album all by itself. This makes me want to treat it like a bonus track but after doing some research I think it is genuinely meant to be the authentic closing track of the record. Then when you get into the content of the song you are faced with a Mark Kozelek style 17 minute spoken word dive into the assassination of JFK. I think it is at least interesting and I never skipped it at the end of listening to this record. But I also have to wonder if without the intimate personality of something like Mark's work it feels like reading a really stylized book about the event and I'm not sure if I would ever return to the song by itself.
Rough And Rowdy Ways is an interesting experience for sure. The record has some veteran songwriting that if anybody is competent enough to deliver late in their career its Nobel Prize for literature winner Bob Dylan. This late in his career his ability to bring new tricks to his music is fascinating and speaks to his versatility and flexibility as a songwriter. While this isn't likely to be one of the best records in the world of folk music you'll hear this year it is still awesome to see the guy who inspired so many still pumping out pretty great tunes to this day and if you're a longtime Dylan fan you should definitely give it a shot. 7/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I'm not sure whether this is a painting or a photography but I enjoy it either way. It's simple and I like how you can't see anyone's face but can get a cohesive storyline. I don't enjoy the cropping with the black bars at the top and bottom. I think that cheapens it and it could've been made in the square format and wouldn't lose any impact. The style of the text leans into the styles of the imagery and while I don't like the placement I don't think it would have worked well anywhere else either. 4/10
For more legendary folk artists check out my review of Fiona Apple's Fetch The Bolt Cutters here
