Bob Dylan. Many will agree that that name is synonymous with “influential musician.” Mike Ness certainly believes so, as he delves more into his Country roots with his debut solo, Cheating at Solitaire. The Social Distortion singer/songwriter pays homage to Dylan with his cover of “Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right).”
Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right)” starts off with a pretty little melody on acoustic guitar. I love that it’s not perfect. You can tell that Dylan’s fingers aren’t catching on the strings perfectly every time and that’s what makes the song so real and what makes him so folk-sy. At the same time, it shows off his great talent, as the melody sounds very difficult to play and pretty intricate. The harmonica comes in to add to that country/folk sound, but that’s it. All you get is Dylan’s infamously whiny and nasally voice, great guitar work and some harmonica that’s not overbearing, but just the perfect amount.
When Mike Ness decided to tap into his country roots more than he would be able to with Social Distortion, Cheating at Solitaire gave him the perfect opportunity to do so. His version of “Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right)” totally has that country feel to it, even though it sounds very different from the original. Instead of going for the acoustic route, Ness opted for a full band. The hopping bass line you hear in country music all the time is still there, as is the constant strumming of the acoustic, as well as electric guitar. Ness’s scratchy and barely-out-of-a-whisper voice is still the same, which is good news to Social D fans! His version is a lot more upbeat than Dylan’s, simply due to the fact that he has added more instruments. Dylan’s version has a more folk sound whereas Ness’s has a country feel that integrates a bit of rock and roll. It even includes one of those twangy solo’s on a barely distorted guitar.
Mike Ness chose a perfect song to cover to show off his country roots and to separate himself from his punk persona. I love both versions for different reasons but Dylan will always be a classic!