Bob Dylan
Together Through Life
Released April 28th on Columbia Records
A man who needs no introduction, Dylan has released his thirty-third studio album, which debuted at #1 both in the United States and the United Kingdom. It’s Dylan’s first number one album in Britain since 1970′s New Morning. Many of the songs on the album were written with Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, and the album also features appearances by David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The album has a similarity to his last album, Modern Times, with a darker, angrier Dylan writing struggling love songs. Bob Dylan also released his thirty-fourth studio album this year as well, Christmas in the Heart, featuring hymns, carols and popular Christmas songs like “Here Comes Santa Claus”, “Little Drummer Boy” and “The First Noel.” 2009 is also a special year for the sixty-eight year old Dylan, who began writing music fifty years ago. No one can deny Dylan’s importance or status in music, and even though he may not sound like he did ten, twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years ago, it’s good to see him writing albums that are still being received so well.