Bob Dylan defies time with new album

At pop-up stores in Los Angeles, New York City and London, throngs of former hippies,…

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Rock legend Bob Dylan returns to his former music self with his new album.

At pop-up stores in Los Angeles, New York City and London, throngs of former hippies, politically conscious baby boomers and fans of Highway 61 Revisited lined up to purchase a copy of 71-year-old rocker Bob Dylan’s 35th studio album.

And although today’s Bob Dylan sounds nothing like his younger self, each fan that bought the new album was holding a piece of rock history.

This is a masterpiece. This is Tempest.

Neil Young, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane are all talented musicians. But more importantly, they acted as voices of their generation. From illicit behavior to political ideologies of the people, these rockers represented the youth of this nation as it struggled to be heard against the screams of a government that simply did not understand its latest crop of people who were ready to make an impact.

Dylan may not have screamed the loudest, but his voice was heard.

While Dylan’s iconic vocals may have gone from a pitch befitting bar room blues to an unrecognizable gruff and scratchy key, his new album Tempest is one last attempt to speak to the people and impart the type of wisdom that we are so used to hearing in his songs.

Tempest is spiritual. The album isn’t just made up of well-rehearsed words that Dylan sings into a microphone with the intent of bright lights and greenbacks. Instead, Dylan sings with the intent of making peace. Peace with himself, peace with the fans who have adored him over his 50-year career and a peace of heart and soul blanket Tempest as Dylan stands defiantly against time.

“Listen to that Duquesne Whistle,” are the first words Dylan manages to belt out, with a steady pace of steel brushing over a snare drum and the deft work of a pick on the strings of an electric guitar that breathes life into the album’s first track, “Duquesne Whistle.”

“Blowing like it’s gonna sweep my world away,” Dylan continues, as if the deafening whistle of a train could make one of the most illustrious careers across a slew of genres disappear. This is his defiance.

His throat may have been ravaged by throat cancer two decades ago, but the heart that drives the senior citizen seems to beat with infinite energy, refusing to slow down and face the future that lies ahead.

Dylan continues the album with the track “Soon After Midnight,” a track that slows things down and allows the listener to take in the broad spectrum of skills that Dylan possesses. It is a time for reflection — a time to make peace with the artist who inspired generations and will inspire countless more to come.

Refusing to give us too much time to relive our collective past, Dylan shoots off with “Narrow Way.” Over seven minutes of toe-tapping, grab-your-girl-and-swing guitar, riffs keep things moving as Dylan proves that no matter how old he gets, he can still keep up with any other musician around.

This is rock ’n’ roll.

To cap off the album, Dylan leaves us with the encore of his career. After nine excellent tracks, we are given “Roll On John,” which will soon be performed in front of thousands holding lighters above their heads, swaying side to side as they reminisce on the distant past that Dylan manages to bring to the surface with a few guitar licks and a raspy voice. No matter what challenges are thrown his way, it seems that the aging rocker will overcome them, continually exemplifying his resilience.

At this point, it seems like Dylan embodies all that is rock. He is hard like the grunge movement that encompassed the ’90s, yet capable of being soft like the numerous rock ballads that dotted the ’80s. He is a talented guitarist at the caliber of such greats as Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana, a skill that he carried over to the singing aspect of the craft, which he has reinvented time and time again as his voice continues to change.

Hats off to Mr. Dylan for proving that Neil Young spoke the truth when he proclaimed that “rock ‘n’ roll will never die.”