Time Out of Mind ... I Guess Via an Internal Clock of Some Sort
Overall Album Score: 8.7 out of 10 Dylan's first album of original material in seven years ... his first album altogether in four years ...... and I'll be danged! This is one freaking good album! This album is so good that it's easily the best he's ever done since Desire. In this addition to the Dylan discography, we see the guy returning a bit to a bluesy style but delivering them with sort of the same lightness as John Wesley Harding. Dylan also changes his voice a little bit (it sounds very good, actually ... the voice doesn't sound as gravely as it sometimes does). All of these songs are pleasant. Some of them are so pleasant that when I listen to them, my mind starts to drift to some magical fairyland. (Oh yes ... always like the fairylands!) Even the album's finale, which is nearly 18 minutes long, lets my mind drift away as I listen to this pleasant music. Very very pleasant. Of course, this doesn't even threaten to rival the sheer breadth of Highway 61 Revisted, but who cares? Dylan no longer has to prove anything to anyone. He's Bob Dylan, legendary rock-and-roll star, and he was finally ready to just sit back and deliver the music. Overall Album Score: 8.7 out of 10 (Oh, man ... now it's just going to be so easy to forget that Dylan ever had a career from 1978 - 1997 ... This album deserves to be in the ranks of the dude's classic 1962 - 1976 period. A very good album, and it's pleasant to listen to as well!) Average Song Score: 8.5 (Very good songs! Not a single stinker in the bunch.) Album Tilt: 9.0 (I'm going on a bit of a limb here, I suppose, but I really enjoy the overall passive feel of the album ... It's a very pleasant thing to listen to.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (Easily Dylan's best album since Desire. This ain't exactly an 'artistic feat,' even though Dylan does change his style.) Track Reviews Love Sick 9/10 This is an engaging bluesy-type song with a quiet, somber organ in the background. It's a lot like Dylan's old Highway 61 days, except it's quite a bit more understated. Dylan's whispy old voice is still quite prominent, except he gives it a bit of a more operatic tone. This song is really good ... especially for a slower, bluesy song, which are things that I'm not always attuned to enjoying. Dirt Road Blues 9/10 Wow ... More utter awesomeness from the Dylan-man. This time, we get a much more upbeat bluesy tune that's actually quite entertaining. Can't remember this type of stuff happening ever since Desire. The melody is a bit generic, but the way Dylan presents it is pretty fun and entertaining. Standing in the Doorway 9/10 An utterly lengthy song, clocking in at nearly eight minutes! And, for some reason, this song manages to be totally engaging throughout. Everything about it was very nicely done. Its atmosphere is calm and pleasant ... I like this one, indeed. Million Miles 8.5/10 Cool and classy ... dude who do you think we are? Beatniks? ...... Eh, I've always wanted to pretend that I'm a beatnik, so I had just might as well do it while listening to this song. Dylan's the king of rock-poetry lyrics, isn't he! Alright. *starts snapping fingers* This is another very well done song. ... Although, I'm lacking a black beret and coffee, so I can't enjoy this properly ... (I'm also not really snapping my fingers ... I'm typing on a keyboard right now, you know ... Some fake beatnik I turned out to be.) Tryin' to Get to Heaven 8/10 I knew that it would happen eventually in this album ... Dylan is getting boring. (Yeah ... this might be a sort of return to form for the dude, but he's not the social icon anymore.) I really thought the violin in the middle of this song was a really nice addition, though. The song might be boring, but at least it has the VIOLIN. (It's a quiet violin ... nothing like the Desire violin.) 'Till I Fell In Love With You 8.5/10 A slow, quiet, and understated bluesy tune ... but, again, Dylan at the helm at it is as confident as ever. Again, I can't say that I'm a blues fan at all, but I won't deny the fact that this is pretty awesome. Way to go, dude. Not Dark Yet 8.5/10 Whew! ... It's so easy to drift away when listening to this! That's not a bad thing, either. It just means that the album is nice and pleasant ... and we always need nice, pleasant albums to drift away with. Not a memorable song, but I can't say I have an ounce of dislike for it. Cold Irons Bound 8/10 A bit louder this time ... The song is still pretty easy to get lost in! More understated wonderfulness from "Mr. Pleasantvoice." Make You Feel My Love 8/10 A slow and pleasant song ... not very exciting, but it's certainly a good one to just sit back and let yourself become immersed in. The tune is alright even though it isn't particularly catchy. Can't Wait 8.5/10 Another regular ole blues song done in this 1997 Dylan-style. Dylan certainly does a good job with the blues on this album ... cannot even halfway deny him that honor! The backing instrumentals are kinda groovy, but, again, they're understated. Highlands 17/20 Holy crap! You can't actually expect me to sit through this! ... I don't think I ever before realized that this track was nearly 17 minutes long. As I was listening to the album, preparing for this review, I was so lost in the bloody thing that I hardly ever bothered actually looking for the clock. ... I suppose that's a compliment more than anything. It's basically the same thing throughout the whole thing, but the simple fact that I can't even remotely get sick of it is a feat that certainly is worthy enough to be mentioned. This is more music that you can get lost in ... I certainly get lost in it! Go out of mind and send me some COMMENTS here. |
All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. May he hit on your sister, please?
