Bob Dylan: "Love & Theft" (2001)

The year 2001 found Bob Dylan in an ebullient mood. He had just won an Oscar, and was fresh from the success of his most recent album, 1997’s Time Out of Mind, which had earned him a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. This run of good fortune had carried over into Bob’s live performances, where he performed with renewed confidence with his stellar backing band, which was built around the duelling guitars of Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton. Last but not least, he had reached the venerable age of 60 years old. All of this was cause for a celebration, and that is exactly what “Love & Theft” appears to be.

Whereas Time Out of Mind had been produced by Daniel Lanois, “Love & Theft” saw Bob take the helm and opt for a more straightforward, stripped-down style. This was appropriate, since almost all of Bob’s new songs were variations on older songs from the ‘30s and ‘40s. The styles on display range, amongst others, from frenetic rockabilly (‘Summer Days’, ‘Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee’), crooner-style jazz ballads (‘Moonlight’, ‘Po’ Boy’), and crunchy electric blues (‘Lonesome Day Blues’, ‘Cry A While’), all of which are tackled with aplomb. 

The only song with a traditionally ‘Bob Dylan’ flavour is ‘Mississippi’, which was initially recorded for Time Out of Mind but ultimately left off the album. In its original form the song had a bittersweet, wistful quality to it, but here it becomes triumphant and celebratory, sounding like the work of someone who has emerged into the light after a long period of hardship. “My heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free”, sings Bob, “I have nothing but affection for them who’ve sailed with me.”

Possibly the best thing about “Love & Theft” is how it sounds like it was a lot of fun to make. A prime example is the track ‘Honest With Me’; as a song there isn’t much to it, but Bob and the band attack it with such force that it works. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and invites the listener into the album’s warm, party-like atmosphere.

Bob Dylan would make more albums in a similar vein to “Love & Theft”, but personally I think they only occaisionally capture the magic contained in this record. “Love & Theft” was a case of the right people being in the right place at the right time, and remains a sparkling souvenir of a memorable period in Bob Dylan’s storied career.