Hits and waaaay long shots
R. Kyle | USA | 06/10/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Bob Dylan's songs are truly world music. They speak to all cultures, but for the most part, I like Dylan doing Dylan best. I loved all four of the new Bob Dylan songs. "Down in the Flood" and "Cold Irons Blue" are my two favorite of the four.
For me, the standout was Shirley Caesar doing the cover of "You Gotta Serve Somebody." It's outstanding and the one song that's gotten a lot of play in this house.
Los Lobos does a great job of "On a Night Like This," giving the song a romantic Latino flair singing part of the lyrics in Spanish. I probably would have liked the Jerry Garcia cover of "Senor" better, if it weren't live.
The Italian (rap) version of "Like a Rolling Stone" is a big miss for me. So's the opening "My Back Pages" in Japanese. This is somewhat anomalous since I love world music and different language covers.
Give the songs a listen before you buy this. If you're a strong Dylan collector, the CD is a must.
Rebecca Kyle, June 2008"
Brilliant, original and enjoyable
T. McLaughlin | Chatham, NJ | 09/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is a lot of good music here and serious thoughts. Listen to the preacher's injunction at the beginning. The tone is of the typical evangelistic tirade, but the words are quite different: "God does not suffer. He does not feel pain...People, ask yourselves a question, are you humble before God?" This is Buddhist not evangelistic Christian. It's a question only, are you humble or not. Meanwhile, there are foreign language and other English speaking version of Dylan classics, four great renditions by Dylan and the excellent band that had Larry Campbell, Charlie Sexton, Tony Garnier. It ends with the "Dixie Hummingbirds" version of a great new Dylan gospel song, "City of Gold". The original Dixie Hummingbirds are in their second century of existence now, God bless them!"