It's that time again!
Neko Case + T-Bone Burnett + Jakob Dylan's voice = Wah Wah Wee Wah!
Dang, I have not heard an album so sweet in a while! EVERYTHING about this album is good, well everything accept my knowledge of Jakob's lineage- I hate that it colours my judgment a little bit. Not a lot, but it is hard to entirely rip the notion of where he comes from out of my head.
This album around, the second solo effort outside of the Wallflowers ( who were a decent group without a huge load of airplay, but enough to get themselves a 'greatest hits' record, Women & Country, to me, has T-Bone smattering ALL OVER IT ( responsible for most of the GOOD bluegrass,and alt. country coming out of studios lately), while paying a little homage to 'dad' in style, BUT with better vocals. You can all argue it, but BOB did not have a good voice! Jakob sounds a lot like Springsteen (Nebaraska/Devils & Dust albums)-and i dig it!
It's possible that this is exactly what Jakob needs to find himself a regular following again, he fits the rootsy, dirt-covered Americana sound really well. I feel bad for the guy actually with the lineage and those big ol' folkie boots to fill- he's had a lot of bad luck. My warning is that perhaps listeners might view it as another 'krauss-plant' initiative by T Bone. Not that any of us minded that record at all! Just saying is all.
My favorite track hands-down has got to be Down on Our Own Shield. Neko, T Bone and Jakob all lend their vocals to it, and the harmonies are raw and gut-wrenching. I keep getting the image of what recovery to a punch in the gut is like, in slow motion, while listening to it. Lend A Hand has a wonderful 'saloon in Louisiana' brass section and percussion that sounds as organic as banging on a steel tub! There is saunter and sex in that song! They've Trapped Us Boys and Nothing But the Whole Wide World are sweet and happy tunes, like drinking down a glass of honey.
I might be a tad bias, I really go for that angular jaw, fish eyed look he's got going, But seriously Give it a good listen.