THURSDAY, SEPT. 13, 2001
ENTERTAINMENT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5B
'Love and Theft' steals hearts
By Clay McCuistion Kansan reviewer
Let's face it, Bob Dylan doesn't have much to prove.
In the youth-oriented world of popular music, if you don't get your point across by age 30, you're better off getting an office job. Dylan got his point across with a string of blazing albums in the 1960s. He was the supposed voice of a generation. So why does he still bother?
Because he can still make great records.
Love and Theft, released Tuesday, isn't a
repeat of 1997's gloomy Time Out of Mind.
Instead, it's a festive celebration of American roots music, spiced with the 60-year-old Dylan's gleeful puns and searing one-liners.
And rather than sounding like a relic of times gone by, he sounds timeless.
ing.
Songs like "Mississippi," "High Water (For Charley Patton)" and "Sugar Baby" equal the highest points of Dylan's past 44 albums.
They're unique. They're powerful. They reward constant listen-
And they're often subtle.
When he sings "There ain't no limit to the amount of trouble women bring," in "Sugar Baby," Dylan's voice conveys immeasurably more than the plain words.
Despite the cliched criticism of his voice, Dylan uses what he has masterfully and his phrasing is precise. He knows exactly when to switch between a craggy blues howl and a seductive, dirty-old-man whisper.
This isn't an album for the faint-hearted.
Love and Theft, with its Muddy-Watersmeets-Judy-Garland compositions, might strike some as too varied.
But for Dylan, that seems like the point.
After the funeral-pyre haze of Time Out of Mind, he seems excited to perform the music that he enjoys.
Lucky for us, that music has never been much better.
Contact McCuiston at 864-4810
Puddle of Mudd splashes
By Patrick Cady
Javplay writer
With music as murky as the waters of the Missouri River and growling vocals that seem from an age gone by. Puddle of Mudd debuts to a national audience with Come Clean.
The voice of Kansas City-area native Wesley Scantlin breaks through on the radio-friendly opening track "Control" with a massive intensity.
The album courses through periods of harder rock and lighter spots of acoustic melody.
"Blurry," epitomizes both extremes on the album with a light harmonic opening that builds into a loud crescendo of towering distortion.
The influence of the early '90s Seattle music scene is heard throughout the album.
On "Basement," Scantlin's voice approaches a drawl, and on the self-deprecating "She Hates Me." the band seems to almost channel the ghost of Nirvana.
One of the more catchy tracks on this album is the comparatively mellow "Never Change," a piece that showcases the band's musicianship.
The lyrics on this album wax a little graphic and become slightly humorous at parts, but fit the music.
Overall, this album provides substantially hard music.
Though reminiscent of classic grunge, it paves a new path
In the search for a quick and loud escape, this album would be the puddle into which to jump.
Contact Cady at 864-4810
[FREEUP]
Keeping up with your crew is never hard to do with Verizon Wireless [FREEUP]. It's the latest spot in wireless service. Do it [UPFRONT] with cool features, like
Join in.
Text Messaging that lets you Spk'n Txt. Voice Mail and domestic long distance are included. It's easy to [REUP], so [SETUP] and stay on it.
1. 800.2JOIN IN verizonwireless.com
To [FREE] , visit one of the 1,200 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores coast-to-coast
verizonwireless Communications Stores
verizon wireless
Or visit the Verizon Wireless Center at
RadioShack
---