Album Review: Jakob Dylan - Women + Country (2010)

Jakob Dylan - Women + Country (2010)

With 2008’s Seeing Things, Jakob Dylan proved that he could have a successful and distinctive solo jaunt without the Wallflowers behind him. Of course, the notion was initially strange due to the fact that Dylan was the only songwriter for the Wallflowers anyway, yet the extremely sparse humble folk of Seeing Things was truly miles away from the sturdy roots rock of the band. Strangely enough, the music received a decent amount of attention, giving Dylan more airplay than his parent band had enjoyed in years (even if it was on coffeehouse radio). The question then became what would he do next? Two years later, with an excellent Wallflowers compilation (Collected: 1996–2005 (2009)) and associated tour under his belt, Dylan returns with his second solo album, Women + Country (2010), which is unarguably his most ambitious work to date.

The most remarkable thing about Women + Country is how distinctive it is from everything before it. It would have been easy enough for Dylan to continue mining the vein of Seeing Things, what with its amazingly warm reception and all; but instead, Dylan goes for something completely different. Whereas Seeing Things’ minimalist approach gave its songs a gentle musical backdrop to Dylan’s prose, Women + Country sets to expand the musical pallet, offering an atmosphere for the lyrics to drift through. So while the music never rises to Wallflowers level, it does manage to ebb and flow in dynamics and swell in emotion. Seeing Things was certainly pleasant enough, even if nothing much happened (that was the point), but Women + Country is so much more interesting, which makes it that much better. Lyrically, the album continues the cautionary imagery found on its predecessor, but the words seem to have more gravitas this time around, thanks to the darker sounds. A key ingredient of all this is the genius inclusion of Kelly Hogan and the always hot Neko Case, who provide gorgeous harmonies on most of the album’s tracks. It’s a feature that adds both credibility to the songs’ ambitious arrangements, and nuance to the album’s gothic-country baroque demeanor. Additional kudos goes to producer T-Bone Burnett, who widens the gaze from what Seeing Things producer Rick Rubin narrowed. And despite the fact that Burnett helmed the Wallflowers’ definitive Bringing Down The Horse (1996), the two albums sound nothing alike, and that’s the ultimate credit for both producer and artist.

Yet again the question is what happens next? Back to the Wallflowers? Another solo album from another planet? Whatever the future may hold, Dylan has proven that he is far more versatile an artist that one would have ever assumed, especially during the Wallflower days. Dylan has even one upped his hero Tom Petty, because as excellent as Petty’s work may be, the solo work and Heartbreakers product is musically synonymous. In the end, Dylan’s finest hour might still rest with his band on (Breach) (2000), but Women + Country serves as a reminder a decade later that the younger Dylan can hold his own yet still manage to surprise.

Key tracks: ¨Nothing But the Whole Wide World¨ / ¨Everybody's Hurting¨ / ¨Truth for a Truth¨ / ¨Standing Eight Count¨

4/5

“Only one thing is certain / That’s everybody / Everybody’s hurting”

McS