Women And Country

From the Wildflowers to 2008’s solo debut, Seeing Things, Jakob Dylan has spent his career trying not to remind you of father, Bob. With the elder Dylan increasingly sounding like a harmonica-abusing tramp on a turpentine downer, that’s getting to be less of a challenge. Here, Jakob embraces a lush country-lite pallet: ‘Lend a Hand’ is awash with drippy horns and turtle-waxed guitars; ‘Yonder Come The Blues’ and ‘Nothing But the Whole Wide Word’ are evocative of early Wilco, with their chiming melodies and full-bodied arrangements. Guests include Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, whose honeyed twang is an ever present counterpoint to Dylan’s broken croon. Production is by Dylan’s old collaborator from his Wildflower days, T-Bone Burnett, his touch most evident on the steel-pedal sprayed ‘Truth For A Truth’. All told, it’s a slight affair, but Dylan deserves better than to be dismissed as a grizzly chip off the old block.