Did you hear he his is Bob Dylan's son? Well, if that was not enough baggage, Jakob Dylan hooked up with Rick Rubin to record an acoustic album in the same vein as Rubin's work with Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond.All of this – but specifically his list name – seems to bother everyone except Jakob Dylan. That could not be more evident than on his outstanding new record, Seeing Things.
Rubin did act as producer. He earns genius points for giving compelling songwriters a guitar, a microphone and then getting out of their way. The method was magic for Cash and Diamond. It provided a much needed career resuscitation for both artists. Dylan is far from written off and that is evident as his record is not as gravely dark as some of Cash's output.
Not to say this is a weightless pop record. Dylan treads through hefty issues with an interesting perspective. He is old enough to have seen a few things but young enough to still be living through the war.
War is a common thread throughout Seeing Things. A record that begins with the refrain of "evil is alive and well" certainly has the evening news in mind. Thankfully removed from strict political commentary, Seeing Things wanders in the human condition than to the outcome of an election. What a welcome change of pace that is.
This is a wonderfully intimate record. Dylan's voice and the few instruments that accompany it make it feel like he is in the room with you. This forum suits him very well. So well there might be questions about the future of the Wallflowers.
Seeing Things is the record people have probably been expecting for years. He is Bob Dylan's son after all, right? This should be a pleasant surprise to many. This is not an attempt to fill his dad's shoes, but just a natural progression that fits like a glove.
