Pop Talk by George Varga

Love can be a glorious, many splendored thing, but there are few hints of that glory or splendor on Bob Dylan's alternately inspired and routine new album, "Together Through Life."

It's impossible to say if this title refers to a romance (or 10) gone bad, Dylan's bond with his audience or various existential realities. Then again, this elusive singer-songwriter has long thrived on ambiguity and illusion.

Both are essential tools for the grizzled icon who has spent nearly two-thirds of his 67 years as a bigger-than-life legend — and nearly as long deliberately dashing the expectations of his fans as a means to maintain his sanity. By transcending his mystique, Dylan has been free to do as he pleases, be it making landmark albums in the 1960s or merely treading water in the 1980s.

He neither sputters nor soars on "Together Through Life," which is pleasant, if hardly epic. It features bleak and wry songs that suit his ragged, battered voice well, even if his raspy croak may make some listeners wince.

His third album of new music in this decade, "Life" sounds both timeless and tossed off, like the work of a still-vital geezer reveling in his old age. Of course, the term "new music" is relative for Dylan and his five accompanists, who take a mostly laid-back stroll through such vintage American music styles as blues, country, swing, boogie, New Orleans-tinged shuffles and Tex-Mex laments.

There's a relaxed feel to even the most up-tempo songs, such as the slyly satirical "It's All Good," a John Lee Hooker-styled romp that uses the trite phrase of its title to skewer politicians, greedy bankers and other always timely targets. But this raw, rough-and-ready charm only goes so far, and some of the selections are so sketchy you wonder just how familiar the musicians were with the songs while recording them.

These musicians include three of Dylan's band members: bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Recile and multi-instrumentalist Donny Herron.

They are augmented by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, whose accordion work embroiders nearly every song, and Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell, who adds surprisingly little of distinction.

Eight of the songs were co-written by Dylan and veteran Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, with whom he collaborated on two songs back in the 1980s. But it's unclear which one of them would want to take credit for such tired couplets as "I don't know what's wrong or right / I just need the strength to fight" (from the weathered ballad "Life Is Hard") and "Baby, you can start a fire / I must be losin' my mind / You're the object of my desire" (from "I Feel a Change Comin' On").

Having been deservedly criticized for appropriating classic blues songs on his 2006 album, "Modern Times," Dylan engages in a bit of belated damage control here. He shares credit with the late, great Willie Dixon on "My Wife's Home Town," which is basically "I Just Want to Make Love to You" with new lyrics and an amusingly evil chuckle.

Alas, he doesn't share credit for "Forgetful Heart" (B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone") and "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" (Otis Rush's "All Your Loving"). That doesn't prevent the songs on "Together Through Life" from feeling like comfy old shoes, but if you're seeking surprise or revelation, you'll have to cross your fingers and wait for Bob Dylan's next album.

Bob Dylan. "Together Through Life." Columbia. 2.5 stars.

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