Amazon.co.uk Review
Already a worldwide chart-topper,
Together Through Life confirms that the huge success of 2006’s excellent
Modern Times was no one-off. And though the material here may lack some of the depth of that unexpectedly euphoric collection, it’s clear that Bob Dylan is not merely indestructible but an active songwriting force again. Tom Petty’s longtime guitarist Mike Campbell adds the necessary quicksilver, but the heart of this record’s sound lies further south than the Delta, as a Tex-Mex accordion dominates on songs like the moody opener "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" and the weary "If You Ever Go To Houston". The jittery Mexabilly of "It’s All Good" and the plain catchy "Jolene"(unrelated to Dolly Parton’s seventies hit) are the obviously commercial offerings while the hard blues of "Shake Shake Mama" and the witty "My Wife’s Home Town" (co-credited to the late Willie Dixon, writer of its template "I Just Want To Make Love To You") provide the grit. Although Dylan’s arrangements here are often as wistful as Willie Nelson at his most distracted, his vocals are anything but, the extraordinary sound of a man who seemingly hasn’t cleared his throat in decades. Almost uniquely in his long career, Dylan shares his writing credit with erstwhile Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, yet the pair of them must surely concede that this concise and enjoyable collection plugs into a self-aggrandising storytelling tradition that predates the pair of them.
Together Through Life is unlikely ever to be considered a great Dylan album, but it is undeniably great fun, and that counts for plenty.
--Steve Jelbert
CD Description
Together Though Life, produced by Jack Frost, was recorded late in 2008, prompted by the composition of a new song, “Life Is Hard,” which was written for a film by French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie En Rose). The album will be the 46th release from Bob Dylan, and follows 2006’s Platinum album
Modern Times, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and reached the top of the charts in seven additional countries and the top five in 22 countries around the world. Bob Dylan’s three previous studio albums have been universally hailed as among the best of his storied career, achieving new levels of commercial success and critical acclaim for the artist.
See all 10 tracks on this disc
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