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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Tangled Up In Blue: Songs of Bob Dylan (House of Blues)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner
Just one look at the CD racks these days will tell you that there's a lot of tribute records out there. Tangled Up in Blue honors Bob Dylan's blues work and these 12 tunes capture many of Dylan's twists, turns, myths and reinventions. Before and after Newport. The Band and their Basement Tapes as well as Bob's Bible study in the 70's. Not to mention politically-charged songs from the 60's to the 80's and eloquent love songs of the 90's. For anyone doubting his blues bona fides, Dylan's not only covered Blind Willie McTell, Rev. Gary Davis and Willie Brown on several of his Grammy-winning discs, but this compilation shows that he's written some fine blues songs, too. Mavis Staples' "Gotta Serve Somebody" recalls a lively tent revival meeting, and Taj Mahal simmers with a shuffle on "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." Luther Allison's long-time sideman James Solberg contributes a sizzling "Ballad of A Thin Man" and country blues legend R.L. Burnside talks us through "Everything is Broken." When Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson plays "Pledging My Time," Dylan's all swagger and shout. This cut reminded me that Dylan's no slouch as a traditional blues songwriter, plugged-in Chicago style. Younger blues players test their chops on Tangled Up in Blue: Alvin "Youngblood" Heart's "Million Miles" and Larry McCray's "All Along the Watchtower" show that the blues, like the best of Dylan's work, is forever young. The Band, without Robbie Robertston, closes the set with "One Too Many Mornings," and Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko have never sounded better. There's a lot of tribute records out there, but Tangled Up in Blue is a great sampling of the bluesy side of one of America's finest singer songwriters.
Track List:
All Along The Watchtower/Larry McCray * It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry/Taj Mahal * Gotta Serve Somebody/Mavis Staples * Everything Is Broken/R.L. Burnside * Lay Lady Lay/Isaac Hayes * Million Miles/Alvin Youngblood Hart * Wallflower/The Holmes Brothers * Pledging My Time/Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson * I'll Be Your Baby Tonight/John Hammond * Ballad Of A Thin Man/James Solberg * Watching The River Flow/Leon Russell * One Too Many Mornings/The Band
© 1999 - Eric Steiner