Shadow Kingdom

If you've been following Dylan for all or most of his career as I have, you can understand my excitement when the mail truck delivered this CD to me today. I was more than eager to hear it, and my wife, who was happily curled up with her book in a corner chair, smiled indulgently and nodded tentatively when I asked if it was okay to play it. She likes Dylan's songs, but has always been a bit skeptical about his voice, so I took this foot-in-the-door answer and ran with it.An hour or so later, as the album closed, the book was face-down in her lap and her head was back with her eyes closed. And I was simply speechless.What Dylan has done here is to re-configure a handful of songs from his extensive catalog, but in a way that is not only wildly imaginative and different, but also instantly recognizable. And the selection of songs is fascinating. Not one of his acknowledged masterpieces appears here, just a selection of songs any one of which would have cemented the career of a lesser songwriter. This was probably a wise choice, because these songs are far more up for grabs than, say, a "Desolation Row" or "Johanna", which we all have invested so much in over the decades.Although everything here is worthwhile, I found "When I Paint My Masterpiece", "Queen Jane", "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", "Forever Young", and "Pledging My Time" to be particularly satisfying. But two back-to-back songs completely blew me away. "Tom Thumb's Blues", a longtime favorite of mine, is a revelation. He sets it to a distinct, loping beat, rephrases the verses some, and the song is still instantly recognizable while sounding completely fresh and different. Then "Tombstone Blues", which always felt angry and edgy to me, takes on a leisurely and more melodic tone that has a somewhat noirishly cinematic effect. Probably more than any other song in this set, it is completely changed by the presentation.The mostly-acoustic accompaniment here is imaginative, embellishing the songs without drowning them, Dylan's voice is stronger than its been in a long time, and the overall effect of this set is somewhat dreamlike. Imagine you're in a smoke-filled cabaret late at night after one too many drinks, then some confident old guy shuffles out to center stage with his band, and you've got the tone of this set. If you're a Dylan fan, you must hear this. If you're a skeptic, give this a try; you may discover why this is the greatest musical artist of our lifetime.

Here’s a strange idea for a Dylan album. Gather a bunch of method actors who may or may not be playing these songs and film them as if they are Dylan’s backing band while he works his way through moody versions of songs you have mostly heard before in other forms. It’s both a fiction and a truth, as in so many Dylan projects. It’s smoky and dark and populated by other actors who dance about in a fictional club. This soundtrack is audio only but it conjures the film’s imagery. Give it a spin!

I was really looking forward to this but, to my surprise, I feel “meh” after a couple of listens. I had bypassed the original Shadow King special in 2021… I’ll pay for an album or sometimes for a concert, but not $25 for the privilege of watching something briefly stream online. I did watch a few minutes on YouTube, but it’s just weird seeing musicians miming along with masks on… I’ll pass on that “experience.”So listening to this CD, I really like Dylan’s vocals, and what they’ve done with those in the mix. The overall mastering sounds good. I like Dylan’s changing up some of the arrangements, which is what fans of Dylan would expect from him. Also some minor lyric changes. There’s no way my fantasy setlist would match up with anyone else’s, given the hundreds of songs Dylan has written, but overall I’m satisfied with this tracklist. Five songs are from a personal favorite, Greatest Hits Vol. II, which was released 50 years prior to these recordings. My biggest problem with this album, however, is the lack of DRUMS. Just doesn’t have the intensity, the propulsion that I would want. So that’s a personal preference, some people clearly love this album’s sound, but I like more blues-based Dylan, especially with those Highway 61 Revisited songs… All in all, between the original streaming format, the visual style, and the lack of drums, I don’t really feel like I’m part of the crowd that this work is trying to appeal to.I can’t give this less than 4 stars, though, because of the songwriting, Dylan’s vocals, and the mastering.

Shadow Kingdom, a virtual remote black & white video concert-like performance, was pretty well received when it was released for on-line viewing a year or so ago. Tickets for viewing went for $25, and with a performance that lasted about an hour, many felt jilted. Others praised the cinematography, Dylan's band, and the overall quality of Dylan's voice in this performance. Yet it was the "performance" itself that fomented criticism, for it was quite obviously that Dylan was lip-synching to pre-recorded vocals. But again - those vocals were pretty fabulous. So in a sense what we have here is the best of that show - the recording of performances itself. And what a recording it is! Full presence, uncompressed, sounding live and unplugged, Bob Dylan explores songs from his back-catalogue. And if you're a fan of Bob (not necessarily a "Bob-head", but admirer of his catalogue) you'll truly enjoy these gentle acoustic re-interpretations of his catalogue. Well - with the possible exception of Tombstone Blues which is sung in the seriously sanctimonious manner of a self-conscious Nobel Prize Laureate slyly mocking the surrealism of his own lyrics. (Emphasis on the Tombstone here)If you are in fact a "Bob-head" you'll be in heaven - this is a dream performance come true. The songs are gently linked with accordion/guitar sequel. It plays like an extended stream of consciousness "what-will-I-play-now" flow that is wonderfully smooth and natural. It astounds me that at the age of 81 Bob Dylan continues to explore and find new meaning and nuances in his work, creating new interpretations of beauty and majesty. Truly - an essential purchase. A seamless performance for the ages.