SHOW BIZ KIDS: He Can Drive It Home

The release of Jakob Dylan's new album, Seeing Things, as well as some solo dates he's playing this summer, signals the death of the Wallflowers. The band has been hemorrhaging members here and there over the years, with keyboardist Rami Jaffee being the latest escapee. It's a shame, too, since the Wallflowers were one of the bright spots of the 1990s rock scene. Since their second album, Bringing Down the Horse, stormed the charts in '96, they've churned out more than a few memorable tunes.

Bringing Down the Horse brought us the classic single "One Headlight," which we all got sick of a decade ago, but there was a reason we listened to it so many times: Jakob, son of Bob, knows how to write a hook. Their music may not be chock-full of surprises-- it has that Counting Crows quality of being familiar without being directly derivative-- but Jakob inherited some solid songwriting genes. "6th Avenue Heartache," "Sleepwalker," and "When You're On Top" all deserve to stand alongside the Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen songs they vaguely remind you of.

"Wallflower" is the name of an obscure Bob Dylan song from the '70s. This may have been the source of the band's name, though I doubt it. Jakob has never shared the stage with his dad, and they don't discuss each other publicly. Still, I suspect Bob is proud of his only musical offspring, and he has every reason to be. When you have someone who looks just like you working in your own profession, they'd better be good.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Sleepwalker" by the Wallflowers
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