There’s no denying that people have a love/hate relationship with Bob Dylan, there are those (like myself) who think the man’s a genius, but there are those that cringe at the very thought of his voice.
Don’t get me wrong, even his most dedicated fans can’t look at his career through rose tinted glasses – take the 1966 tour for example when there were cries of “Judas” where some were offended at the very idea of Dylan plugging in an electric guitar, or several of the eighties albums that many take one listen of before shelving and returning to the likes of “Times They Are a-Changing”, or even just the front cover image of Dylan on “Empire Burlesque”is enough to make you doubt your artist.
All joking aside about the past, Dylan has been responsible for thirty five studio albums, with some of the finest still coming out in his later life – 2001’s “Love and Theft” for example is one… and now 2012’s “Tempest” is another.
So what have we been offered here, an upbeat bluesy Dylan on “Soon After Midnight” and “Early Roman Kings”, with his voice sounding stronger than ever, plus the slower “Scarlet Town” shows the albums production at its finest with a violin sound reminiscent of “One More Cup of Coffee” from Dylan’s younger years.
Lyrically on “Tin Angel” Dylan describes a beautiful love triangle and the title track of “Tempest”, weighing in at a captivating 14 minutes, depicts through Dylan’s eyes the slow demise of being aboard the Titanic.
These two tracks alone proving that poetically, at the age of 71, the great man still has plenty to give to the world lyrically as well as musically, and unlike some of the older Bob Dylan albums Tempest deserves to be on many a playlist for quite some time.
Mr Teeth
