Jakob Dylan "Women and Country"

                          When your father is Bob Dylan you have much to live up to. Some people could say they were Seeing Things, but in actuality they were hearing a formidable debut, even if it was from a Wallflower. You might be thinking that I am insinuating they are not a good band, but I never said that, so let’s move on. As for sophomore albums they are often plagued by the stigma of the sophomore slump. This album is not one of those cases; you can hear Springsteen in this record as well as dear old dad. T Bone Burnett, known for producing some great records, adds something special to what was good to begin with; adding a zest not always heard.  “Nothing But The Whole Wide World” is part life-story, part lullaby, and part folky devotional to God. This duet with Neko Case may have you “Down on Your Shield,” but this will not be the last time you hear her voice on this record. All of the instrumentals “Lend A Hand” to create a song which sounds like it hails from N’awlins. The song exuberates the mentality of working together to make something greater, and that a community is not just people living in the same area, but a different kind of family; no matter how old or young that there is always something that can be done. I cannot help but think of the ghost of families that come back to Oklahoma long after the Dust Bowl, and the Joads are one of those families singing “We Don’t Live Here Anymore.” Most often we do not realize that others can be in pain, equal or worse, because we are so enveloped in our own lives (and pain) that we don’t see “Everybody’s Hurting” just in different ways and intensities. If you would like a “Truth For A Truth” I would tell you that I have nothing constructive to say except that you should give it  listen, and you can tell me how you really feel. “Holy Rollers For Love” ride a horse through a barren battlefield where “The devil himself would be puzzled to give/Any reasons to sink his fingers in/All this voodoo and black magic/Doing the work that was his.” “They’ve Trapped Us Boys” with Bryan Adams, and some meat loaf; subtle, but you can hear some similarities under the Americana Sun. I cannot help but think of Ennio Morricone as I “Stand Eight Count” in what sounds like the dustball before the shoot out (and during the staredown). Favorites: Down On Your Shield, Lend A Hand, We Don’t Live Here Anymore, Truth for a Truth, They’ve Trapped Us Boys, and Stand Eight Count.