Dylan Sings American Classics

Typically, skepticism and misapprehension have greeted Dylan’s newest release, Shadows In The Night, based on one of Sinatra’s most enduring classic albums. The lead in the New York Times said, “It’s not a joke.” What disservice…Mark my words: This album will live. Dylan’s recording of under appreciated, early Americana folk music, his own blues songs, and especially this album, which puts him beside Sinatra, the other most enduring singer of the 20th century, will eventually rest beside the best of Dylan’s work. As Dylan said about the recording: it “uncovers” the songs. More generous was this review in The Telegraph: “Dylan sings Sinatra? It shouldn’t work but Shadows In The Night is quite gorgeous, the sound of an old man picking over memories, lost loves, regrets, triumphs and fading hopes amid an ambient tumble of haunting electric instrumentation. It is spooky, bittersweet, mesmerisingly moving and showcases the best singing from Dylan in 25 years. The very concept seems outrageous, which is perhaps why Dylan’s management have been at pains to insist it is not a Sinatra tribute. One was a vocal giant with perfect mix of tone, technique and emotional expression. The other has a voice that David Bowie described as “like sand and glue,” (and that was intended as a compliment). They are artists we listen to for very different reasons. Shadows In The Night is a perfect blend of those heartbreaking classics, digging beneath self-pity to reveal deeper relationship truths.”