Robert's Review of Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan

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This is an album of aging, love, reflections, regrets, and life. Dylan's songs ring true and the music is just right. The production by Daniel Lanois is haunting with the music having a strong jazzy blues flavor. From the funky Love Sick to the blues Dirt Road Blues. These songs ruminated through your ears like with hidden substance. And surprise - Dylan's voice is not shot. It may sound that way in concerts but here he brings the old subtlety and nuance that made him the great singer (with a lousy voice) that he used to be. He walks this lyrics around this moody music and into your soul. A great surprise of an album.

This album opens with Dylan singing over a haunting guitar beat "I'm Walking thru streets not dead I'm walking with you in my head." The themes and images of death and love percolate through the album which covers them in blues and jazz tunes. After the haunting Love Sick Dylan bounces along with the bouncing blues Dirt Road Blues singing "standing in my watching the colors above, looking for the sunny side of Love."

Next comes the sweet sounds of Standing in the Doorway where he sets the mood singing of the "jukebox playing low" and then tells his story with "yesterday everything was moving too fast and now too slow" and "I don't know if I saw if I would kiss you or kill you it probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow." Talk about the blues.

A jazzy organ swells through Million Miles as he sings "you told yourself a lie That's all right I told myself one too" and "people ask about you I don't tell them everything I knew I tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles away from you." Haunting swinging bluesy jazz guitars bubble on top as the songs swings along on a funky organ swells and a high hat. When she says "I gotta find a janitor to sweep me off my feet" the world weary singer goes on "he replies that's all right mama you do what you gotta do".

Trying to get to Heaven comes next with a more standard upbeat ballad beat but he sings When you feel you've lost everything you realize you can lose a little more I'm just trying to get to heaven before they close the door.

I was all right until I fell in love With You rumbles along with a funky electric piano and crashing guitars. While a shaky march beat propels Its Not Dark Yet with distant organ and a whining voice "I feel my soul has turned into steel Its Not Dark Yet but it getting there whispered then resigned. My sensitive malady is going down the drain behind every beautiful thing there has been pain.

The album ends with the lengthy rambling stream of conscious folk blues - Highlands. Again the singer sings about aging and loss - its not only teenagers who feel out of place. I can't tell a real blond from a fake" and I'm living in a mystery i wish someone would push back the clock for me with the hook "my heart is the highlands i can only get there one step at a time and the party's over and their less and less to say

The album reads depressing but he sings with such honesty that you fall into the character and live the haunting distance of his life. Dylan gave up writing songs a few years ago but now he has found something to say.

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