Bob Dylan – Tempest Review

Upbeat rumblings give way to an incredibly surprising, powerful presence from Bob Dylan. Tempest may open with that croaky vocal positioning on Duquesne Blues but its blinkered view of the times that have surely changed brings Dylan roaring into his next decade of influence. Maturity and good spirits come from another Dylan album of original material, produced by the man himself under that Jack Frost moniker. As playful as the opening track Duquesne Blues is, it marks one of many powerful, underlyingly dark turns on this electric blues piece. Tempest is one of the strongest turns from Dylan steadying a course Rough and Rowdy Ways would go on to draw from. Those Americana stylings, as unique and bound to big swinging bands as they are, come through with a firm, legacy-cementing ideals. 

Tempest certainly works better as a confirmation of legacy than anything else. Soon After Midnight works as a lush and swaying, acoustic joy. Tearful and cheerful hearts give Dylan some time to look back on his career, a lack of hurry from a man who, at the time of recording, entered his sixth decade of recording. Soon After Midnight can be rightfully regarded as one of the most moving tracks of Dylan’s discography. A murder ballad that crawls its way back to the darker comforts of The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. Swinging into a standard showcase of electric blues rock on Narrow Way gives the littering of session musicians, some of them touring with Dylan on the Never Ending Tour since 1989, hit their groove. 

Pay In Blood marks another shift toward those darker ballads Tempest has. Dylan’s back and forth initially feels scattershot, but it is for the sake of balancing form and meaning. He pulls it off and makes it look like a cinch, a respectable balance of form that glides through lengthy tracks of narrative consistency. Banjo licks form a nice change for Scarlet Town, one of five dominant, lengthy tracks that give Dylan a space to charm with those consistent narratives but also some violin work from Donnie Herron that gives the track a necessary structure. His bell still rings, as Dylan warns on the Muddy Waters-like blues groove of Early Roman Kings. Time and time again, Tempest builds on standards that mean much to Dylan, exploring the range of influence he can bring, as he did with covers. But original material stands taller for Dylan, who leaves his personality deep on the roots of these tracks time and time again.  

A slate of Dylan-only originals, bar opening track Duquesne Blues which shares a writing credit with the late Robert Hunter of The Grateful Dead, Tempest offers an extreme, refined form. One of the most touching pieces from Dylan’s discography, a criminally disregarded piece that has not held the attention of wider audiences as much as it could or should have. Long and Wasted Years consolidates the fear of waste and the regrets of not seeing family. Discounting his own image, breaking it down and building himself up as he prepares to cross the Rubicon, Dylan finds comfort in the freedom Tempest offers. This underdog album is far from a violent storm, though. It marks a gorgeously worked, moving listen that stands tall as one of the unsung greats of his discography.