With the release of Exit Wounds, the 9th studio album from The Wall Flowers, the durable and road-tested band that was formed, and is fronted by, the son of the legendary Bob Dylan, one can’t help but reach an inescapable conclusion that after living in the long shadow of his genius father for decades, at the age of 51, the son has finally emerged as his own man.

Having covered a Wallflowers concert several years ago in Boston, I remember being stunned by how, despite the fact that father and son have followed different musical paths, the essence of their folky storytelling, set against a backdrop of drums, guitars, bass, and keyboards the younger Dylan is indeed his father’s son. Blade-thin with close-cropped curly hair and haunting deep-set eyes, and singing with a rasp in his voice, Jakob is indeed a clone of his father. That being said, I still can recall how the Wallflowers’ sound was also reminiscent of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

What also sticks in my mind from that long-ago night in Boston is the fact that Jakob Dylan bristled at the press conference when he was peppered with questions, not about himself and his band, but more about his dad saying, “It’s like being an architect and your father invented the house. Can anyone look at your house and not see him? I’m aware that whenever you think of me, you think of the other person too. It’s impossible to separate.” Perhaps the ultimate proof point of this is found in the 1998 Grammys when Jakob Dylan won two awards and the senior Dylan came home with three that night. As I say, living your entire life in the very long shadow of a legendary father who is a Nobel Laureate has got to be a daunting challenge.

I confess that as far back as their early hits singles “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache” and “Three Marlenas” I’ve been a fan of the Wallflowers. In my opinion, they are, and always have been, a top shelf band. When all is said and done, in the new album, “Exit Wounds,” the younger Dylan’s inherited gift for songwriting is once again evident. With his raspy cigarette sounding voice, no doubt another inheritance from his father, one can also hear a faint echo of Springsteen’s raw vocal style, and even a trace of the late great Warren Zevon.

Although the members of the Wallflowers have rotated in and out across the years, the one constant that is found in the equation is Jakob Dylan himself; he is the glue that holds the Wallflowers together, and this latest album showcases his talent as a singer-songwriter and as a compelling vocalist. Again, it’s a challenge to be a great songwriter when you’re the son of the greatest songwriter of all time, but to his credit, the younger Dylan has managed to pull it off.

Despite his career-long quest to break away from this father’s style, the album kicks off with what is definitely the most Bob Dylan-esque track on it; “Maybe Your Heart’s Not in it No More.” In the face of this, it is one of his most alluring songs in years. The lyrics are harsh, raw and straight ahead, sounding like Bob himself could have penned them.

“Not a razor up to your throat, you can go anytime through any door, but maybe your heart’s not in it no more?”

There is a palpable feel of sadness that percolates up to the surface in “The Dive Bar in my Heart,” as it is a distinct departure for the traditional musical stylings of the Wallflowers. Perhaps the song that seems to really capture the essence of the theme of the album is “Roots and Wings.” In this particular cut, he shows his own distinct style that goes a long way in distancing himself from his father. Thematically, a good number of tracks on “Exit Wounds” amplify a sense of discontent, and this is evident in Dylan’s lyrics, “I wanna change horses, I wanna switch lanes” from “I Hear the Ocean When I Wanna Hear Trains.” And yet, he tempers this melancholy with a renewed sense of hope and confidence in the future in the album’s standout track, “Move the River.” There is a positive tone that lifts the listener up.

At the end of the day, it seems that through the years, for Jakob Dylan, it has always been a case of the bigger the spotlight, the bigger the shadow, both on stage and off stage. However, throughout this album, what shines through like a beacon is the artistic depth and poetic grace that runs in his blood. He has inherited this great gift, and he has become his own man. After so many years, the son of a legend appears to have finally stepped out of the shadow to find his moment in the sun. It is a moment that he has earned, and it is well deserved.

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.

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