The Wallflowers
Red Letter Days

THE REVIEW

I believe this album deserves an extra star compared to the usual quality standard of Jakob Dylan's production. After having (intentionally?) sought comparison with (or more simply or cleverly resembled?) his father, now Jakob is trying to distance himself. In 2000, "(Breach)" was released, a work where the Wallflowers distanced themselves from the great Bob but did not deviate from the American pop-root standard; here, instead, and it's two years later, the guys succeed in creating the least "Dylan-like" work of their production.

Independence, however, would be a strong word because the sounds and tastes are still those of the American guitar-based and pop-oriented collective.

The chorus of "When You're On Top," for example, seems to come straight from a Sugar Ray piece, after being obviously purged of Marc McGrath's "coattitude." "If You Never Got Sick" is sweetened pop, even slightly emo in the chorus, and those "uuh uuh" seem to be from Umberto Tozzi (!). Californian pop that's charming and shrewd? Perhaps, but certainly not in all instances. "Three Ways" seems like a playful version of the delicate Springsteen in songs like "Secret Garden" and the like, "See You When I Get There" shows us a carefree and adolescent Dylan Jr like we never thought we would hear, and "Here In Pleasantville" is no longer the usual root candy but is true acoustic pop.

To break out of their canons, the Wallflowers also offer examples of sophisticated pop with a delicacy that's hard to expect from country folks. In "Health And Happiness," we even reach the limits of the Bristol sound, while in the somewhat danceable "Too Late To Quit," we're dealing with a trendy rock that the Maroon 5 would have deemed worthy of making millions.

They explore in all directions in search of their limits while remaining within a pop perimeter, and to complete the exploration, they also tread more "rocky" paths with the excellent (and almost violent, one might say) "Everybody Out Of The Water," or in the always dark (even in the choruses, which is really unusual for them) "Feels Like Summer Again"; they intensify their mood, making it dark, sharp, and powerful, in "Everything I Need."

"Red Letter Days" is an album of good songs, and anyone with more or less all American music in their repertoire will find few weak points in this work. What immediately makes me think positively about this CD, however, is not the quality of its tracks but the goodness of the singing. Although he hasn't turned into a golden voice, Jakob Dylan is more in tune, more confident, even, in "Too Late" and "Everything I Need," he screams and attempts high notes, stuff someone like him couldn't afford even when he was little and his father wouldn't buy him candies.

It's evident that he believed in his pieces, and at these levels, anyone would have done the same.