On Dylan

I had a chance to listen to Bob Dylan's new album the other day, "Modern Times." There's nothing new going on here--the album is excellent, probably a little better than "Love and Theft" simply because it works better as an album. I wouldn't be suprised to see it win a Grammy or at least get nominated. Dylan plays in a variety of styles from Western Swing to Country to straight-ahead Blues. He pulls these styles off with aplomb. He's comfortable and confident. But there's nothing new going on here. And there hasn't been anything new going on with Bob Dylan for about 40 years. He is the father of confessional song-writing, the long song, folk-rock, etc., etc. But now that most of his influence has been swallowed up by the rock establishment, listeners no longer pick up his albums expecting revolutionary music--they come to listen because they like his music, his voice, his style. If you aren't into those facets of the artist, you're not going to find much to like here. The groundbreaking stuff ended a long time ago.