Once
upon a time Bob Dylan tore down the walls and delivered unto us music we’d
never experienced before. Our very innocence was placed on the auction block as
Dylan’s words like a guillotine lopped the heads off everything we held close
to our hearts and believed would help us through the perilous times. Things
have changed as Bob offers up his second installment of standards. Let’s begin
with the band as once again they’re upfront in the mix as they were on 2015’s Shadows In The Night. Just listen to the
opening of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” as it salters along bringing us to a
country dance without regret or hesitation. His voice sounds positively entrancing
as it ruefully bleeds all of the sentiment out of these torch ballads and transports
them to a bygone republic still standing beneath the pallor of cherry orchard
skies. Even though these songs were recorded at the Shadows sessions these are two distinctly different records. For
those fearing that Bob is slowing down find yourself a decent set of headphones
(Grado SR60's will do quite nicely) and really hunker down with this record
because trust me if you give it even half a chance you’ll find yourself
grinning from ear to ear as Dylan raps our knuckles with a coolness rarely
experienced in these days of instant fame and missed opportunities. Listen for
the squeaky shoes!
Charles Eric Cicirella
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