Photo Courtesy: Columbia Records
Bob Dylan is the prime example of what a musician’s career wishes to be like. For nearly half a century, Dylan has turned out albums left and right, ranging from an old blues sound to rock that led a generational gap revolution. The 73-year-old has done so much in his career he just doesn’t seem to care what he’s doing at this point. Think of it as an old man that’s lived his life and is just waiting for the day to end.
Dylan’s latest career moves have had everyone shaking their heads. There was that Christmas album I want to forget that came out in 2009. Since he’s pretty old, that old croaky voice that made him famous is long gone. His last three albums total it just doesn’t sound like Dylan tried. And why should he? Dylan’s always been the type to change his style with every piece he’s done. The difference with him and other artists is that he’s just doing it because he wants to.
So what’s Dylan’s goal on Shadows Of The Night? An album of Frank Sinatra covers. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a man whose covered bluegrass and folk take on an artist of Sinatra’s caliber. On paper this combination is destined to fail. Before I even start listening to Shadows Of The Night, I’m thinking to myself how can this sound good without Sinatra’s signature orchestra? If the Christmas album was any indication, I wasn’t going to be a fan.
This is the reason why you don’t judge a book by its cover. Dylan embraces the croon of Sinatra and adds his own style to the music. While he doesn’t have the voice to sing as he once has, Dylan sings with emotion enough to make you feel the loneliness he is suffering. One of my personal favorites from the album is “Stay With Me” because of how he uses his voice of pain over an instrumental that sounds like a 1960s oldies track that would originally be used for doo-wop. The space in the song that Dylan provides gives you a feeling of odd paradise that only a seasoned veteran can provide. While his voice isn’t strong anymore, the album’s closer “That Lucky Old Sun” shows Dylan’s pipes at his strongest. Not bad for someone in his 70s.
While I’m a fan of this album, Shadows In The Night is another example of Dylan being way past his prime. Honestly, after his Desire release in 1976, he’s seemed to fail to grasp that magic for a full album. The album’s space sometimes gets you lost in a trace to the point where you could just lose focus. There’s no pick-me-up moment where the music takes a positive turn.
Shadows In The Night is progress compared to his last three albums. I mean who am I kidding? Dylan doesn’t care how his work comes out from the sounds of it. He’s just doing it for fun, and good for him. This album proves that Dylan can take any type of music and make it his own. I know a lot of people questioned Sinatra covers, but Dylan somehow made it work. Never question the work of the master.
