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If Dylan’s dad had written “Evil Is Alive and Well,” a haunting meditation on these troubled times, the Dylan fan boys in the rock press would be calling for a ticker-tape parade by now. It’s no “Masters of War,” but it carries its own sort of weight, underscoring the blend of dread and resignation in the singer’s vocals with a melancholy finger-picked acoustic. Sadly, not much else on Dylan’s debut as a solo artist rises to the level of that lead-off track. But several highlights make the most of producer Rick Rubin’s “less is more but even less is better” sensibility, from “Valley of the Low Sun,” a Springsteenesque ballad where bombers are “named after girls,” to the album-closing “This End Of The Telescope.” And it’s nice to hear him go all optimistic on “Something Good This Way Comes,” where he sounds more like James Taylor than his dad.

Standout Tracks: “Evil Is Alive and Well,” “Something Good This Way Comes” A. WALL