Different era suits different Dylan

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"SEEING THINGS," Jakob Dylan (Columbia)Jakob Dylan is 38 and finally releasing his solo debut. By the time his father, Bob, was 38, he had 16 years of releases under his belt. Jakob Dylan was 26 when he and his band the Wallflowers released their breakthrough "Bringing Down the Horse," and before Bob Dylan turned 26, he had already put out such albums as "Blonde on Blonde," "Highway 61 Revisited," "Bringing It All Back Home" and even "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits."Although Jakob is a far better vocalist than Bob, there are endless ways he'll never compare to his father. Jakob's success with the Wallflowers has earned him the right not to be compared to his dad, but the younger Dylan is now inviting just that with his solo "Seeing Things," a largely acoustic social commentary with a predominant war theme.Produced by Rick Rubin, "Seeing Things" sounds fantastic. The fluid acoustic guitars glide along beguiling melodies, and Dylan's penetrating voice (which is aging wonderfully) adds weight to the overall somber tone. The release feels important from the beginning as he finds different ways to deliver the title refrain of opener "Evil Is Alive and Well."Dylan may be the offspring of rock royalty, but here he convincingly plays the disquieting role of working-class doomsayer as he sings about digging "ditches in the golden sun" (on "Will It Grow"). He notes that, "War is safe when you are far away" (on "War Is Kind"). Yet there are also lighter moments with full-bodied arrangements -- most noteworthy among them "Something Good This Way Comes," in which a blissful Dylan sings, "The trouble, doll, is not moving mountains, but digging the ground that you're on."Fitting line for a man forever in his father's shadow but whose words aren't just blowin' in the wind.Rating (five possible): 4"THIS CHANGES NOTHING," Ready Fire Aim (Expansion Team)Sage Rader needs to get over himself.In a press release for Ready Fire Aim's "This Changes Nothing," he's described as a poet, musician, actor, political commentator and singer. But he's no more a singer than an everyday Joe in the shower.His milquetoast vocals and hammy lyrics are a burden on "This Changes Nothing," which nonetheless glows from the brilliant music of producer/DJ Stakka (aka Shaun Morris), who creates a sprawling synthetic atmosphere worthy of comparisons to Depeche Mode.The misfit duo work in tandem, compelling and repelling all the way, and ultimately it's Stakka's craftsmanship that perseveres for Ready Fire Aim. He's at the helm as the somber percolations of "End of Over" drag Rader out of his tentative morass. He also drives the flexible retro-dance of "Beautiful Thing," the darkly romantic tones of "As If It Were That Easy" and the moody rhythms of "Lush But Dark" that underscore a rare example of electronic music with a seemingly organic heart.Yet the hypnotic churns and sputters of Stakka's chunky arrangements are routinely derailed by Rader, who turns in cheesy lines such as "Hey pretty lady ... I wanna be your man," thus making a campy Goth Vegas ditty out "Wanna Be Your." Likewise, Rader's "You're so fine ... gonna make you mine" doesn't help the riveting tempo of "So Fine."The vocalist seems to recognize his weaknesses with delivery and articulation, so occasionally he shifts his style (as when he goes for a whisper on "Laff It Up" and taps into a more melodious, high range for "As If It Were That Easy") and adds some depth and humor to his lines.However nothing he does is up to the level of Stakka, who surely could have found a better mouthpiece for his work.Rating: 3"FREE AT LAST," Josh Fix (1650 Entertainment)If you're a materialistic conformist, Josh Fix hates your life.The San Francisco Bay Area-based native of South Africa couldn't be more clear than when he sings, "All your yuppie friends, pack them in their minivans; you're stinking up my city" on "Bad With the Superbad," a track from his new "Free at Last."He doesn't stop there. Opening cut "Don't Call Me in the Morning" is a diatribe against the rat race, "Rock and Roll Slut" takes aim at couples who think they're edgy when in fact they're predictable posers, and on "Whiskey & Speed" he again addresses delusion with, "Spend your whole life in your own mind, never see the world just pass you by."Those who find themselves smarting from Fix's attacks might have this for his criticisms: Right back atcha, buddy. The singer is a slave to his own formula, and his relentless aping of Queen, though crafty, is hardly imaginative. "Free at Last" is also smug and self-indulgent, and his overdubbed, flamboyant vocals sometimes serve as an overwrought study in insincere histrionics.Yet Fix and his expressive messages can't be simply dismissed, because his pounding keyboards and dramatic, layered voices aren't pointless noise. His rollicking sound and rave-up soul delivery make "Jethro" engaging, for example, and the irresistible cascade of vocals on "Tiger on a Treadmill" set up a potent lesson for those "Stranded on a treadmill, running like a tiger/All the motion's just for show."Plus Fix is humorous in all of his buoyant sermonizing, and he recognizes the detriments of his negativity on the self-effacing closer "I Thought About It First," moaning, "Everyone I love, I'm hurting" before launching into a huge, bombastic outro.Fix ultimately redeems himself for his judgmental ways and sonic excess, but not without damaging his cause.Rating: 3-1/2(E-mail Chuck Campbell of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at Campbell(at)knews.com.)