Multitudes (Summer of Dylan part ten)

I didn't plan for the recap of Dylan's albums to be ten parts, but I like the symmetry. (I will be writing a recap post soon, though.) We come now up to the present. I wasn't sure how to periodize Dylan's 21st century, but I feel like there's a definite before and after that's marked by his Christmas album, since he has been more invested in recording standards since then. As with the rest of his career since the late 70s there are peaks and valleys and the valleys make the peaks that much more remarkable.

Christmas in the Heart (2009)

Like Self-Portrait and his Christian period this was a true "what the fuck?!?" for Dylan fans. At the time I myself was flabbergasted that this came after a great four album run. Since then I've become a parent, which has rekindled my love of Christmas and corny Christmas music, but even with that reevaluation I can't like this album. The arrangements are fun and retro, which saves this from being a two star album. The problem is Dylan's voice, which has never sounded more atrocious. It makes this album physically difficult to listen to, even though I appreciate the jaunty glee he brings to songs like "Here Comes Santa Claus." Of course, Dylan loves making these confounding choices and I will always tip my hat to that. Fan service is the enemy of art.

Rating: Two Bobs

Tempest (2012)

I didn't hear this one when it first came out since it was released right after my children were born. During the first two years of their lives I basically fell off the pop culture map. I really enjoyed listening to it. It has a lot of the feel and bluesy vibe of his triumphs in the oughts. Not all of the songs are strong and none stick out to me as greats. but it's a solid effort and I plan on listening to it again.

Rating: Four Bobs

Shadows in the Night (2015)

In the 1990s Dylan revitalized himself by doing albums of folk covers. That made a lot of sense, considering his origins in the Greenwich Village folk scene. In this period he was doing covers of Christmas songs and old standards. That was a bit more perplexing, and to me, uninteresting. I did not listen to this album until this week. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It's not as good as his 90s folk albums, but it's a better listen than I expected. Nevertheless, one listen was enough.

Rating: Three Bobs

Fallen Angels (2016)

More standards, but these are done with more of a country feel, which I appreciate. I liked this album more than the last. It still suffers from the material not being Dylan's strong suit. Some of the high notes are painfully beyond his range. The best stuff reminds me of cuts from Love and Theft. The real star here is Dylan's touring band playing live in the studio. One sometimes wishes they were paired with a different singer. The arrangements on this album as especially appealing. I might be coming back to it.

Rating: Three and a half Bobs

Triplicate (2017)

The third in the trilogy of standards albums. The style is a bit jazzier, but the backing band sounds great yet again. Some songs are better than others, I found "Braggin'" and "As Time Goes By" to be real highlights. When Dylan sticks to a narrow range in songs that require feel he sounds good. The straining on the high notes is not enduring. This album might be a bit overloaded with songs, but the selections are impeccable and they are performed with real feeling. A quiet accomplishment for Dylan this century has been his producing chops. The records sound great, very different than his self-produced work earlier in his career. It seems that his road band knows him well enough to keep up with the changes.

Rating: Three and a half Bobs

Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)

As with Time Out of Mind Dylan's foray into traditional music reignited his songwriting muse. Seemingly out of nowhere he gave us a similar, sprawling album. He also had his first number one single, the improbable 17-minute opus "Murder Most Foul." He released it at the start of quarantine, and it felt like an epitaph for his generation and the America they lived in. I listened to it practically every day back then, along with "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Lest we forget, this was in the depths of the Trump administration. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and Dylan had the perfect message for it. The song implied that since Kennedy's assassination progress has been hard to find, and that we have been numbing ourselves with popular culture. However, he does not deliver this as a jeremiad, but with sadness.

There's plenty of other standout tracks, notably "I Contain Multitudes," quite the statement of purpose at his age. The most miraculous thing about this album was that it seemed to say that even at the doorstep of 80, Dylan had profound gifts. This album would be a remarkable epitaph to his career, but I doubt Dylan is going to stop now. I am glad for that. 

Rating: Five Bobs