The Nevada Sagebrush

Jakob Dylan, son of folk legend Bob Dylan and former member of The Wallflowers, released his sophomore solo effort, “Women + Country,” on April 6. Photo courtesy of Columbia Records.

When your father is folk rock legend Bob Dylan, filling his shoes is no easy feat. Unfortunately for Jakob Dylan, formerly of the 90s alternative folk/rock group The Wallflowers, he does not even come close with his mostly mundane and melancholy album “Women + Country.”

While the album doesn’t contain any songs that speak of political and social revolutions that come close to touching the legendary music his father produced, it is filled with thoughtful ditties that highlight themes such as hard labor, morality and capitalism. In the dark song “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” Dylan laments, “We’ve been working hard to the bone/Face down, nose to the grindstone/God is working, I wish He’d say so/Maybe He don’t live here anymore.”

Like any country and folk album, “Women + Country” heavily features songs about love, loss and heartbreak. In the smooth and twangy “Smile When You Call Me That,” Dylan croons, “Now, I’m drunk and you’re insane/And I can’t quit and you won’t change/Ain’t no halfhearted Romeo/Why do you treat me so?” Although the majority of songs featured on “Women + Country” have a gloomy and stoic undertone, the upbeat melodies, wailing horns and booming drums in “Lend a Hand” and “Standing Eight Count” break up the redundancy of the mostly slow paced album.

The strengths of “Women + Country” lie in the aesthetically pleasing, gloomy and atmospheric vibe of the album. Unfortunately, Dylan’s lackluster and one-note, whisper-like voice is not a strength on the album. Throughout the entire record, it sounds as though Dylan is nursing a painful toothache and is singing through gritted teeth or a wired shut jaw like Kanye did for “Through the Wire.” While his lyrics are very deep and  contain some refreshingly intelligent notions about topics such as capitalism and corruption, his boring, monotonous vocals take away from their greatness. In a few of the songs, such as “The Yonder Come the Blues” and “Holy Rollers for Love,” his overall tone sounds very affected, as if he is doing a bad imitation of what he thinks country music should sound like.

Although Dylan’s soulless sounding vocals do bring “Women + Country” down quite a bit, the amazing instrumentation makes the album worth a listen. Thanks to the genius production work of country and rock singer/songwriter and producer T-Bone Burnett, who previously worked with The Wallflowers on their sophomore album, “Women + Country” isn’t a complete letdown. The haunting brass strings, booming drums and soulful use of horns liven up the record and give it a delightful, Americana-type vibe. Musical guest Neko Case contributes her melodic vocals to six out of the 11 songs on Dylan’s  album, and while her voice is only slightly heard in the background, the juxtaposition of her sweet vocals against Dylan’s deep and bitter sound makes for a great pairing. Naturally, these songs are some of the album’s best.

Sure, “Women + Country” is a great album, that is, if you just listen to the instrumental versions of Dylan’s eleven songs. Although, it must be said, his dreary and sleep-inducing vocals can be of great use to insomniacs who are in dire need of something to bore them to sleep.

Jakob Dylan

Women + Country

Release Date: April 6

Genre: Alt-country, Americana, Folk

Grade: C+

Enjolie Esteve can be reached at art-entertainment@nevadasagebrush.com.

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