Critics have been tossing around the “Next Bob Dylan” tag for decades, but few have invited the label more reliably than Conor Oberst, whose been likened to Dylan since he was an underage singer-songwriter writing nervy, hyper-emotional songs under the moniker Bright Eyes. Those Dylan comparisons proved to be prophetic, and over the years the ironic, bargain bin twang of early Bright Eyes records gave way to a more genuine appreciation for Americana. By 2004’s I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Oberst was dueting with Emmylou Harris.
Though Bright Eye was already an amorphous project, with a revolving line-up from album to album and tour to tour, Oberst put that group on hiatus last year to release a self-titled solo album, which he recorded with a new ensemble dubbed The Mystic Valley Band. The record further indulged Oberst’s folk-rock leanings, cementing Oberst as a respectable adult songwriter. This year’s prompt follow-up, Outer South, promoted the Mystic Valley Band to co-billing with Oberst, and for good reason: Members of the band wrote or co-wrote eight of its 16 songs, and sing in place of Oberst on seven of them. Even if his bandmates don’t share Oberst’s knack for slippery, loquacious prose, they bring some agreeable variety to the record, with guitarists Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingworth singing a pair of country-rock and garage-pop numbers, respectively, and Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel a couple of nice-guy indie-folk tunes.
