Bob Dylan – Fallen Angels

What else can be said about this man and his music? Probably nothing that hasn’t already been said. And yet…he keeps producing new music. This album release sees the legendary musician exploring the part of the Great American Songbook. In this instance the part made famous by Frank Sinatra. Some might think this an odd pairing but is you think about it, not really. Both men have a very distinct voice and phrasing. Both have been a part of some of the best songs in music history. Now they are overlapping. Dylan now walks the path already tread by Sinatra. So follows “Young at Heart “, “That Old Black Magic” and “Skylark” with the latter two being highlights of a uniformly strong record. Strong due to the man. The way he presents the songs is Dylan doing what he does best. He has always been able to eschew music trends and get to the heart and brain of a song. So if he feels that “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” needs a Hawaiian flavour then presto he makes it so. And it works. He reminds us what a great arranger he is. That plus the strong playing of his fellow musicians makes for the full package musically. Twelve songs and twelve more nuggets to add to an already impressive and rich catalogue. A master at work.