Blogcritics

Music Review: Bob Dylan - World Gone Wrong

David Bowling — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:34:08 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 29.
The positive reception for his album, Good As I Been To You, prompted Bob Dylan to release another album of traditional folk and blues songs. World Gone Wrong was released October 26, 1993 and received another round of positive reviews. Both albums would find Dylan accompanying himself only on acoustic guitar and harmonica. His choice of material...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Good As I Been To You

David Bowling — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:57:17 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 28.
Early in 1992 Bob Dylan went into the studio with David Bromberg and recorded an album’s worth of material. None of these tracks would be used on his next album. Dylan would return to the recording studio and record a large number of cover songs that would become Good As I Been To You.The first thing that I noticed about this album was the...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Under The Red Sky

David Bowling — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:09:38 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 27.
I have now listened to Under A Red Sky four times in the last two days and frankly I don’t get it. I also have the feeling that this may have been Dylan’s intent. On the surface it appears to be a children’s album of nonsensical nursery rhymes or possibly The Brothers Grimm on crack. Dylan had been busy working on the Traveling...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy

David Bowling — Wed, 8 Oct 2008 18:25:23 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 26.
Several things happened to Bob Dylan before he released Oh Mercy in 1989. First, he injured his hand and had some down time while he recovered. He filled those hours by writing songs. Oh Mercy would be his first album in a number of years to contain all original compositions. Second, his work with the Traveling Wilburys in 1988 seemed to rejuvenate...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Down In The Groove

David Bowling — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 03:01:50 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 25.
In 2007 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Down In The Groove as the worst Bob Dylan album. The real bad news is they were right or at least close to it. I almost combined a review of this album with my last, Knocked Out Loaded. The albums are similar and in a way each does not deserve their own full review.Down In The Grove finds Dylan at a low point...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Knocked Out Loaded

David Bowling — Mon, 6 Oct 2008 03:27:49 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 24.
Knocked Out Loaded was released July 14, 1986 and would be one of the worst selling albums of his career as it would find a distant Dylan who seemed preoccupied. The first hint that this is an unfocused album is the number of musicians and singers that appear in the credits which number over fifty. Ultimately it would not be a terrible release but...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Empire Burlesque

David Bowling — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 12:36:40 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 23.
Empire Burlesque may not have been Bob Dylan’s first album released in the 1980s but it was his first 80’s album.He self produced this release without any help and at this point in his career he was usually better off with a strong outside producer at the helm. Many people would say that modern recording techniques were beyond his...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Infidels

David Bowling — Sat, 4 Oct 2008 22:25:26 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 22.
Infidels was Bob Dylan’s 1983 album release and it brought a sigh of relief from legions of his fans. He had returned to the secular world and left his Christian fundamentalist teachings behind. While the album returns him to messages of protest and social concerns, they are just as hard hitting and passionate as his previous religious views....

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Shot Of Love

David Bowling — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 09:19:27 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 21.
Shot of Love, released Aug. 10, 1981, would be the third and final overtly Christian album released by Bob Dylan. The reviews were critical and the sales poor but it would be the most accessible of his religious releases. First, it would feature a return toward a rock sound. Second, while the message would still be sermonic and overbearing in...

Music Review: Bob Dylan - Saved

David Bowling — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 16:57:02 EDT

Bob Dylan: Chapter 20.
Saved was released June 23, 1980 and was the second of Bob Dylan’s trilogy of hard core, fundamentalist Christian releases. It did not have the commercial success of Slow Train Coming and would be his first album in 15 years not to earn gold record status.The major issue for Saved was that it was recorded between tours and as such was a hasty...