The masks have fallen down and now it’s clear to everyone that Bob Dylan has no inspiration left for his music releases. His creative approach over the past few years has been extremely passive and dormant, and the outputs never lured us into thinking that he still has it. If we can not ask him to stop being a crooner, we can at least beg him to return to songwriting. Bob, I know you will never read my review, but take it as a request more than observation. I will speak directly to you.
Two years ago, when you released Shadows In The Night, a collection of covers of American standards that were made famous by Frank Sinatra, there was something different there. Then, you have decided to continue in the same manner with Fallen Angels. Now, you are offering us a triple release titled Triplicate. Dude, once was cool, the second time was strange, but not it is clearly lazy. Your three CDs split into three theme parts is boring. That is my conviction.
Similar maneuver was operated by Frank Sinatra back in the 80s when his career was in the sunset. He dropped Trilogy, a three-piece record in which he summed up the past, the present and the future. As you are following Sinatra’s steps, I can only conclude that the title of your latest collection is an amalgam of trilogy + duplicate. I would insert joke here related to originality, but I think everything is pretty clear already. No need for sarcasm, my Nobel-Prize winning friend.
Your covers are not as successful as covers Billie Holiday was pulling off throughout her career. Forcing the theme is like telling the same joke five times in a row, especially when it’s a joke that wasn’t even funny the first time. The covers are not a problem per se. I mean, many of the best covers in the world are covers of your songs, Mr. Dylan, but when you don’t have a limit, the result is, to quote you – Beyond here lies nothing. What’s urgent it’s some kind of All Along The Watchtower by some new Jimi Hendrix.
It is always nice to hear and experience a different approach. Maybe Pablo Picasso played ukulele like a virtuoso. Maybe John Wayne wrote beautiful poetry. It would be intriguing to discover how that would be. Still, their biggest asset was never and will never be in the irrelevant artistic activities, rather the original ones.
You said: Now that I have lived through everything there is in those songs, I can understand them completely and I can experience them as I should. I can only remind you that covers are not the reason you won any awards. I know you are not into accolades, but I am also pretty sure you are not that into covers. Triplicate?
