Jakob Dylan Performs Live on the Interface

Most people know Jakob Dylan as the frontman of '90s alt-rock group the Wallflowers and the son of Bob Dylan. But with his rock group on hiatus for the last few years, he's been venturing out solo. His latest album, 'Women and Country,' pairs the younger Dylan with veteran session musicians: bassist Dennis Crouch (Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash), fiddle player David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop), guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) and backing vocal contributions from Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. As far as makeshift bands go, it's hard to beat this lineup.

Dylan says that thematically, the ideas of women and country run throughout the album. "Women and country both represent everything that we struggle for and protect and inspire us and drive us nuts," he told Spinner during a recent Interface taping in our New York studios.

With that said, Dylan takes a very rootsy, Americana approach to his new work. He reteamed with uber-hot producer T-Bone Burnett (the two recorded back in the '90s with the Wallflowers), and created simple, warm arrangements that compliment Dylan's gravelly voice.

"The sounds on the record might remind people of country music, but that's the intention -- it's more physical space than musically," he said. "I feel like something unique and special was going on, which isn't always the case. It was a combination of all the things that I think matter. It was a lot of hard work, enjoyable work. It was instantly rewarding work, and there was great chemistry. I really did feel like a role player even though I brought the songs and it was vision that T-Bone and I were looking after."

All of this sounds like it's been a fruitful endeavor, and for those that turned your noses up at the Wallflowers, it's also time to rethink Jakob Dylan in a new light, one that's more in tune with a classic, rootsy vibe. To keep his thoughts about women and country in check, Dylan's rounded up Case, along with her band, and Hogan to join him this spring on the road. Billing themselves as "Jakob Dylan and Three Legs," the group is currently on tour in the Midwest, with dates scheduled through late May.