Jakob Dylan

Seeing Things

Sony

As a Wallflower, Jakob Dylan seemed to be on a quest to distance himself from the constant comparisons to his father, Bob Dylan, and to have his own separate identity. And for a while, he succeeded in doing just that. In the mid-90’s when Dylan’s band The Wallflowers released “Bringing Down the Horse”--the album that launched a ton of singles including “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache” and “The Difference”--the guys leaped out from the over-populated alternative rock crowd and established themselves as credible and talented musicians. The energy and melody that The Wallflowers captured was a breath of fresh air in the scene at that time.

But after 18 years of leading the Wallflowers through five rock and roll albums, Dylan is taking steps back towards his father by going the solo route. At 38 years old, Dylan released his debut solo album earlier this year, “Seeing Things,” and the connection between father and son came rushing back. Because instead of pulling a Butch Walker and building on his rock and roll foundation to create an arena rock album, he took the path of Hot Water Music’s Chuck Ragan and Lucero’s Ben Nichols and went with a mellow, acoustic vibe.

Plain and simple, “Seeing Things” is a folk album, which makes it an even braver move for a man who spent so much time trying to step out of the shadow of his father. The opener “Evil Is Alive and Well” is a smooth introduction to the remaining nine tracks and gives a pretty good indication of things to come. For the most part, the record stays at the same toned-down energy level throughout. If the songs on “Seeing Things” were performed by another artist, the effort would likely fall by the wayside as just a generic folk album. But Dylan’s unique voice adds a magic to them that is captivating and so soothing. Unfortunately, for those who came to know and love Dylan through The Wallflowers, this solo effort just might leave them wishing he would plug in his guitar and bring his old energy back.

Leah Weinberg