After nearly twenty years and five albums as the front man for The Wallflowers, Jakob Dylan has gone solo. At first glance the album’s title, Seeing Things, could look sort of ominous with song titles such as, “Evil Is Alive And Well”, “Everybody Pays As They Go”, and “War Is Kind,” considering who his old man is. But listen to the album and you’ll quickly realize the second coming of The Times They Are A-Changin’ this is not. Jakob Dylan paints his canvas with concise, impressionist brushstrokes. Dylan isn’t a man trying to make a statement; there is no ethos, no concrete message. Seeing Things doesn’t try to be more than what it is; a collection of ten songs lasting just under forty minutes sung by a man who’s got a penchant—and talent—for writing deeply personal songs. The Wallflowers, though fun, always seemed like they should have been a vehicle for what has now become a reality, Dylan’s solo career. And he seems at ease with that as he sings, “My line of work suits me fine,” in the song, “All Day And All Night.”

Seldom is gravel a synonym for smooth but Dylan’s voice is as soothing as a ride in the back of a pickup truck on a backcountry road in the middle of a cool summer night. And his voice has never sounded better; a perfect compliment to his acoustic guitar on this acoustic driven record. Seeing Things at times sounds like a not so distant relative of a softer Neil Young (think Silver & Gold) or Tom Petty (think Wildflowers) offering, or an E-Street Band-less Springsteen album. The songs weave comfortably in between blues, folk, and country influences and come out as a reflection of a man who has come to terms with his surroundings just fine, and as he’s looking out on the world through his sunglass covered eyes, he’s doing so with admiration. The album’s production is vintage Rick Rubin: sparse, intimate, and alive; you can hear the creaks of the studio. It’s not as stripped down as some of Rubin’s work with Johnny Cash, but it’s just as personal, and it sounds precisely like these were the types of songs Dylan was born to sing.

This post is tagged Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things