Jakob Dylan

On his last album (and solo debut), the spare, folky Seeing Things, Jakob Dylan attracted a slew of comparisons to his father, Bob ”” but for once, they felt earned, and, ironically, Jakob finally sounded comfortable in his own skin. He takes it a step further here, with Neko Case and her bandmate Kelly Hogan providing gentle harmonies, and superproducer T Bone Burnett giving this roots folk a roomy sound. Dylan’s gentle croon doesn’t pull every tune off ”” particularly dark songs like the Tom Waits-y “Lend a Hand.” But the cheerful lullaby “Nothing but the Whole Wide World” suggests Dylan is at his best when he embraces his inner James Taylor.