Jakob Dylan became famous as the lead singer of The Wallflowers, but in recent years, he has hatched into a successful solo artist. His new album, Women and Country, reunites Dylan with producer T-Bone Burnett, and adds Neko Case and Kelly Hogan to the mix as backing vocalists. Weekend Edition Saturday's Scott Simon hosted Dylan, Case and Hogan for a chat and an in-studio performance.
The album is slow, thoughtful and moody, but also optimistic.
"Ask anybody around me," jokes Dylan. "I'm a very upbeat, positive, optimistic type of person."
The team of musicians was assembled by Burnett, whose busy schedule created a tight deadline. Dylan wrote the album in only three weeks.
"I thought three weeks was plenty of time to write 10, 15 songs ... I work better with a deadline, personally. If it's open-ended, I'm not sure that I'll ever get there."
Dylan says he and Burnett shared some Rolling Thunder Revue stories while recording the album -- though he was only 4 when his father, Bob Dylan, headlined the storied tour.
"We were talking the other day -- [we have] this image of you, like Rolling Thunder backstage with your sippy cup," laughs Neko Case.
"Nobody was ageist, everybody was all for one and one for all," jokes Dylan. "I'm glad that the tour is now seemingly getting more recognition than ever, 'cause it certainly was special ... and not just 'cause I was there."
Does his father listen to his music?
"I can actually answer, for sure, that he has said recently that it's his favorite music in the entire world, in the history of music, and recommends that everybody get multiple copies."
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