Search - Gustavo Santaolalla :: North Country - Music From The Motion Picture

You Bought It For The New Dylan Song

Paul J. Buchholz | Ithaca, NY USA | 10/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Tell Ol' Bill'--which is the only reason anyone would review this album--is a song homogeneous in its pattern and melody, strong five minute piece of Bob Dylan. Recently Dylan (in regard to Love and Theft) has described his music as an electric grid with lyrics overlapping, and this song takes that pattern to the extreme, with midwestern town and empty woods imagery spread evenly, and copies itself verse after verse. For that reason, there is no chorus, and no variation in the instrumentation (which, I'd like to say, is pretty and woody). Dylan's voice is very close this time, and he's doing a lot of the same microphone experimentation that I recognize from his concerts. There's this half-singing, half-exhaling whine which you will like after the third listen.



Obviously not comparable work to earlier songs, but only because it's an experiment in pure redundancy, which has always worked in some sense for Bob Dylan."

Don't Speak for me Miss Hibbing

Diane Saar | C.Lake, Minnesota USA | 03/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would recommend this soundtrack highly and I especially thought the Dylan presence fit perfectly. More Dylan would have set the scenes even better. Leo K was also a nice marriage to the story. As for "Minnesota not so nice", be cautious about speaking for others. I have been a girl of the "North Country" all 53 years of my life, and Dylans lyrics have always resonated with me. If he truely hated Hibbing at some time in his life,and wanted to escape or pretend no relationship, I and many others can resonate with that sentiment as well. For better or worse, everywhere Dylan has called home, is a part of his story, and his time in Hibbing is part of our story. Many of us backwoods "northerners" are honored to know that such a voice could come from any of our little northern towns,even Hibbing. Dylans music was the perfect fit for this picture,and more Dylan would have made this soundtrack even more relevent in my opinion. (from "very near "Hibbing")"

Ask Ol Bill is worth the price

Steve Dossey | Somewhere just beyond or before the crossroads | 04/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dylan's new song Ask Ol Bill is as good if not better than Things Have Changed...He sings in a John Wesley Harding style...limited but nonetheless clear throated that is easy on the ear..This song just chugs along with great images worthy of the best from Dylan..There are previously released Dylan songs on this cd plus songs from other artists...Warren Zevon's Werewolf..still a hoot, the two corny country songs I just don't like...But I did not see the movie so they may bring some appropriate comic relief to the script...??? If you are Dylan fan, you gotta get this cd just for Ask Ol Bill...."