The Americana and roots music authority

"Tempest" and Beyond: A Guitarist Reflects on Dylan's Modern Old-time Sound

I'm a big Bob Dylan fan and would be remiss if I didn't devote some space to his latest studio album, Tempest. That said, plenty of intellectual energy has already been spent dissecting the lyrical content of the disc; I really don't have anything new or innovative to add. Moreover, I'm the proprietor of a guitar-themed blog. I thought it would be more appropriate to offer my guitarist's assessment of Dylan's musical backing on Tempest, particularly by comparison to the rest of his output over the past decade.

Musically, the album continues a vision that began with Time Out of Mind and reached its stride on Love and Theft. Much to the chagrin of folk-era devotees who still haven't recovered from Newport, Dylan's 21^st century sound has been a Dixieland collision of Highway 61 Revisited meets Nashville Skyline -- electrified bands augmented by a healthy dose of 1920s and 30s acoustic Americana. While the sound is more polished than his historical output (owing equal parts to better production technology and seasoned backing musicians), it is also more varied, blending equal parts blues, folk, country, and even jazz -- often all in the same tune.

I note this sound reached its stride with Love and Theft, an album I still consider to be Dylan's post-2000 high water mark (both lyrically and musically). The band included Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton on guitars. Campbell in particular is one of my favorite sidemen; he delivers tasteful accompaniment on just about any stringed instrument including guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and pedal steel. He has been responsible for great arrangements not only on Dylan's album, but those of other Americana luminaries like Levon Helm, Willie Nelson, and Elvis Costello. I saw Dylan on the Love and Theft tour in 2002, and the show remains among my top three memorable concert experiences.

Dylan parted ways with the Love and Theft band before recording Modern Times in 2006. I've been to three more Dylan shows since, and unfortunately none quite lived up to what I saw in 2002. This is no doubt partly attributable to Dylan's own mercurial nature and penchant for onstage experimentation. However, I also feel it has been because he lacks a strong musical foil to keep those tendencies in check and steady the ship. Both Campbell and Sexton – strong yet understated personalities in their own right – played vocal as well as musical roles in the Love and Theft band, helping to maintain consistency and allow the melodic and harmonic foundations of the tunes to cut through Dylan's sometimes meandering vocal delivery. By the group chorus of "Blowing in the Wind," I knew I was hearing the classic tune, even if it hadn't been immediately evident from Dylan's solo verses.

The lineup -- "Love and Theft" (left) & "Modern Times" (right)

Modern Times largely followed the same musical template as Love and Theft, and perhaps because of that it was doomed to underwhelm this reviewer. It's not that the album was bad; it just didn't quite live up to its predecessor, despite (and probably because of) the aesthetic similarities. Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman assumed guitar duties. Both are highly capable six-stringers, but in my opinion didn't provide as steady a musical keel for their bandleader -- at least initially. Together through Life (2009) brought a more marked shift in the band's sound, yielding a record that made a more clean break from the Love and Theft template. Kimball was joined by David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers); the three guitarists provided a solid foundation for nine tight, blues-oriented arrangements that suggested the gelling of a more confident and distinctive band. Which brings us to Tempest.

The Tempest studio band – which includes Kimball, Hidalgo, and the return of Charlie Sexton – very successfully splits the difference between Love and Theft and Together through Life. Dylan's writing returns to classic form, propelled by bluesy rhythms that not only play to the guitarists' strengths, but provide both momentum and direction for the songs. The rhythmic backing is tight, but rough enough around the edges to match Dylan's dark, cantankerous, and occasionally crude lyrics. The three guitarists are a literal riff factory, from the screeching electric lick that drives "Narrow Way," to the Muddy Waters inspired shuffle of "Early Roman Kings." Some of the motifs are blues cliches; others are reminiscent of tracks from albums previously mentioned. They all borrow from American musical traditions that have always shamelessly recycled those elements that work, the sounds that get feet tapping and imprint melody and lyrics in listeners' minds.

If any criticism can be leveled at the arrangements, it's that it would have been nice to hear a little more from the band – particularly on the sprawling title track, which would have benefited from both a lyrical editor and more ambitious instrumental breaks. Production-wise, the mixing on a few tunes occasionally buries the lead instruments. Granted, the focus is supposed to be on Bob's lyrics, but there's some tasty playing that deserves an occasional spotlight.

I'm hoping the live act lives up to the promise of Tempest. While my last several Dylan concerts didn't come close to the Love and Theft experience, I was struck by how much tighter the band sounded in each successive performance. Hopefully the new touring band will benefit from continuity in personnel, the influx of Charlie Sexton, and the energy from a new set of tunes (not to mention Mark Knopfler as co-headliner). Longer term, it's clear there's plenty of music left in Dylan, and I'll be looking forward to the next iteration of his modern old-time sound.

*Correction -- The guitarist on Love and Theft was of course Charlie Sexton, not Martin Sexton as written in the original posting.

Originally posted on New.Old.Stock. - A guitar music blog.

Tags: Bob Dylan, Tempest, guitar, review

Comment by Jack on September 26, 2012 at 10:02pm: I tend to agree that Love and Theft is Dylan's post 2000 high water mark, with Summer Days perhaps the brightest spot on that and subsequent records. I don't think Together Through Life continued the hot streak that was Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft and Modern Times. Haven't heard Tempest yet, but looking at the picture of the cover, I don't think anyone's imagination or budget was exactly overworked. Someone got paid to come up with that?

Comment by Jim Moulton on September 29, 2012 at 2:10am: Ben, Thanks for the look into the musical side of Dylan, sure has changed in the last few years, I am not a huge fan, but I keep up with the icon. I love Charlie Sexton ,think he would ad some nice parts to a Dylan type sound, over the years, he has had a very wide variety of backing bands,including the Band and the Dead. Good Review.

Comment by William Henry Prince on September 29, 2012 at 4:08pm: Great article. I am a musician and want to hear about new releases from a musical perspective, which is often not the case with Bob Dylan. Having heard the record (on vinyl), I agree with you that it would have been nice to hear more of the band - especially some guitar solos. As for the lyrics - I can work them out for myself and don't need an in-depth analysis, which seems to be the fashion with Dylan reviews! Nice job.

Comment by Steve Pellettiere on October 2, 2012 at 6:07am: Enjoyed your piece on Dylan from more of a musical perspective, but I'm more in agreement with Jack, in that I look at the Time Out of Mind, Love & Theft, Modern Times run of albums as almost a late career "trilogy" of sorts and maybe because of that connection to its predecessors, I find Modern Times superior to Together Through Life. And to add, I do love the new record as well.

Comment by Ronald Cori on October 2, 2012 at 6:13am: Dylan is embarking on a tour with Mark Knopfler. Might be interesting!

Comment by Patrick Stroudley on October 2, 2012 at 7:32am: I agree the songs and musicians on Tempest are very good. But why does no-one, here or in all the mag reviews I have read, mention Dylan's voice? His voice is just an awful, unlistenable croak, isn't it? He has no control over it - it goes from growl to squeak in one phrase at one point. Why does no one mention the voice, or lack of? A
case of the king's new clothes, or are all Dylanites to polite to criticise the master?

Comment by Ronald Cori on October 2, 2012 at 10:42am: Believe it or not, his voice is better on Tempest than the last few years...

Comment by Jack Williams on October 2, 2012 at 10:59am: Third option: Some of us don't feel the same way you do. I think his voice in its current state has its charm. Also, this is the way it's been for a while now. I accept that. I will admit that I'm hesitant to go see Bob live as I wonder if on a given night, his voice might be unlistenable to my ears. Maybe what's on the albums is his "A-voice."

Last week, I was driving my girls to school with the title track from Tempest on the car stereo (that very long song about the Titanic that offends Bob Lefsetz so). My four year old pipes up with "He sounds terrible!" I respond with some understanding statement about rough his voice is, after which my six year old, who loves the Carolina Chocolate Drops, weighs in with "I LIKE it" and says something about how she likes the way it goes with the music. I must be doing something right (I think).

Comment by Maura Shine on October 2, 2012 at 11:07am: Great blogpost - this album is already a favourite next to Modern Times and Time Out of Mind. Never really got into Love and Theft strangely, must give it another whirl. His voice lends itself to the gravelly sounds and the band is so tight.

Comment by Patrick Stroudley on October 3, 2012 at 12:11am: Thanks to Ronald and Jack for commenting on Dylan's voice. I accept his voice has been in its current condition for some years now, I just don't see that as a positive. I also take the point about the songs themselves being grizzled, and needing a lived-in voice to interpret them. But surely Dylan's voice is beyond repair? To me, he just sounds awful. He should be so grateful to his long term fans for putting up with such a noise. He won't be of course! All part of his legend, I suppose.

Comment