Album: Bob Dylan, Together Through Life, (Sony Music)

Album number 33 for the man with ‘the blood of the land’ in his voice

When asked, "How do you think this new record will be received?" recently, Bob Dylan replied: "I know my fans will like it, other than that I have no idea."

Nice answer, Bob, but your fans like it when you wear a hat, or yawn. A fan myself (though not one of those fans), I'm less convinced than others by 21st-century Bob. I

t's great that the more he rejects the modern world musically, the more acclaim comes his way, and I've come to accept that waiting for the next Blood on the Tracks is as futile as expecting Stevie to better Innervisions.

So Together Through Life must be taken for what it is: a Tex Mex-tinged blues record that would provide the perfect backdrop to a night in a bordertown cantina. Being Dylan, there are lines to leap off a page. "I'm listening to Billie Joe Shaver/ I'm reading James Joyce/ Some people tell me I've got the blood of the land in my voice," he croaks on "I Feel a Change Comin' On". Gnarled, grizzled and approaching 70, the magnificence may be gone but the mischievous imp remains.

Pick of the album: Is it all good? No. But 'It's All Good' is pretty good