Rough and Rowdy Ways
"What is now proved was once only imagined." - William Blake
It has been nearly a decade since Bob Dylan released Tempest, the last album forged solely of his own, original work. The album showcased Dylan's continuous writing skills, poetry slandering, and musical arrangements as they have progressed over the last five decades (his debut album being released in 1962). Following Tempest, Dylan released three albums celebrating earlier artist and the American Songbook with Shadow in The Night, Fallen Angels, and Triplicate. These covers/tribute style albums gave an impression that another Dylan project in full fidelity, featuring all original tracks, may seize to exist again. Perhaps he has collected his Nobel-prize and has washed his hands from those projects. Maybe his writing will be poured into Volume II of his autobiographical collection instead of completed albums. Possibly, he would invest more time into new endeavors, like a whiskey business, or even (maybe) we would see him retire - after all he's seventy-nine. But Bob Dylan lives as Rasputin died; when you think he's gone he ain't going nowhere. So, listen to Mr. Blake and refer to the introductory quote. Time after time, Bob Dylan only proves our fantasies to be real.
Rough and Rowdy Ways, the first Bob Dylan album to feature tracks drawn up exclusively by the artist since 2012, became Bob Dylan's 39th Studio album upon release 19 June, 2020. In Dylan's fashion, one can find the artist taking on political themes, love, homage to artist, as well as songs that push the barrier to getting any air time-averaging songs at approximately five minutes. The album itself is nothing short of imagery, illusions, and the overwhelming feeling of walking into a literary web making you feel like a small fly fallen victim to this tug and pull new home to be spun and swallowed in. With an assortment of the over-looming thick fog feeling of Dylan's favoriting gothic stylings in his later year. Yet, at the same time the album applauds the young Robert Zimmerman, whom drew sounds of country, folk, and blues by titling the project after pioneer in music named Jimmie Rodgers -not be confused with blues pioneer Jimmy Reed, whom Dylan pays tribute to with track No.6. In 1958 wrote the song "My Rough and Rowdy Ways" (Seen Below Via Youtube).
"I sleep with life and death in the same bed" comes from a line in "I Contain Multitudes", a track released earlier this spring teasing the release of this anticipated work. The album is the bed and life and death are perhaps the songs tucked in to it. For this ten track complication sheds lights onto playful, upbeat grounds of life with "Goodbye Jimmy Reed", as well as showcasing he's still the man to get the job done when it comes to writing about the art of love in "I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You". Throughout the tracks one can find a tapping, suspense of quarter-note progressions before the outbreak of a chorus as well as Latin flavors, religious feels, and castaways vibes in "Black Rider" and "Key West (Philosopher's Pirate)".
Death is featured when Dylan's voice provides light through the murky, bellowing of "Murder Most Foul", a song with ominous feeling just as broad as the name and subject itself as the track takes on the murdering of President JFK and walks the lines of the year 1963. The song doesn't stop there it continues, almost in a Billy Joel "We Didn't Start The Fire" way, of calling to other. influences and prominent junctures in history, including a range from Harold Floyd to The Eagles.
The album features, "My Own Version of You" a song in the spirit of Frankenstein meets Cupid and "False Prophet" in a style that, to this listener at least, has a cadence that sounds like a slowed down pouncing feel of the Blonde and Blonde track "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat", as well as "I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You" tasting a bit like "(Just Like) A Woman", but Dylan has slowed down himself. He hasn't written or preformed at the pace he did in the sixties, seventies or eighties. Perhaps if he continued to do so, the prophecy may proceed false due to lack of empathy. A slower pace and genre change are justified as they have proved to abide by what might have been past foretelling. Familiar sounds were also welcomed and appreciated on this album, as recognizable sounds are blurred enough to still house their own creative flow and form.
It has been apparent as Dylan has aged, blues stylings has become a comfort zone, but comfort may not be the right word to use due to the artist expanding every genre out of their own security. When one goes to a Bob Dylan concert, they are not getting the Blood On The Tracks "Simple Twist Of Fate" but a new arrangement, which is another way Dylan keeps one on their toes. This maybe due to the aging, changing of his voice, however his voice, both physically and literary are proven to be provide strength on Rough and Rowdy Ways. The Duluth Seuss with rhymes that at times can seem to feel a bit easily appeared, but attached to monstrous themes- In this writers opinion "Murder Most Foul" is a gigantic song but some rhymes fall mute or simple. However, the song still stands, at seventeen minutes, and is memorable and mystifying. In the Dylanesque fashion, the album is littered with lyrics and lines that leave one salivating for more.
To speak with the current times and situation, as Covid19 and Equality movements progress with little help from elected officials in ivory towers, Dylan offers what is the penicillin to the soul. A slight piece of sanity and insanity to mull over while the days are getting longer and our patients are growing shorter.
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