People who missed the arrival of little Bob Dylan in 1960 should make it a point to catch Ike Reilly during his two-night stand at Atwood’s Tavern, tonight and Thursday. The singer-songwriter out of Libertyville, Illinois, has the same sharp, rollicking sensibility and, if anything, even more of a knack for tuneful, crowd-pleasing consistency (heresy!) than Dylan cared to apply. On “Crooked Love,” Reilly has 10 tracks that flesh out a world of cynicism and cruelty with foot-stomping pleasure – and it’s sure to be a blast live.

Sit down, order a drink and close your eyes to take in a lived-in voice with love stories that can go beat to beat with “Blood on the Tracks,” societal jabs that can go toe to toe with “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” and unruly humor like our musician laureate got around to making explicit on “Another Side of Bob Dylan.” (The number of Dylan covers Reilly does makes it clear this is no accident – but, man, Reilly really makes it work.)

Ike Reilly plays at 10 p.m. tonight and Thursday and Atwood’s Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., East Cambridge. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door. Christian McNeill opens.