Bob Dylan - Masked & Anonymous

OK, so the movie to which it’s attached has been denigrated by most of the critics who’ve reviewed it. The soundtrack itself is a marvel that stands just fine on its own. Start with the four tracks by Dylan himself, including bristling new versions of "Cold Irons Bound" and "Down in the Flood" recorded with his remarkable touring band. Add gospel heavyweights Shirley Caesar shouting "Gotta Serve Somebody" and the Dixie Hummingbirds offering country-soul salvation in "City of Gold." But these and performances by Los Lobos and the Grateful Dead are just a warm-up for the CD’s more inspired third: Dylan covers by a variety of obscure international artists. There’s a Japanese language version of "My Back Pages" courtesy of the Magokoro Brothers , an Italian hip-hop take on "Like a Rolling Stone" ("Come Una Pietra Scalciata!") by Articolo 31), a beguiling, string-driven "One More Cup of Coffee" from Turkish pop star Sertab Erener, and a gentle, spoken-word "Most of the Time" by Swedish singer Sophie Zelmani. Oddly, this loopy, polyglot approach stands as a truer testament to Dylan’s genius than the atrocious dialogue (two snippets of which mar an otherwise fine album) or self-conscious artiness of the movie. --Keith Moerer Amazon.com

Hits and waaaay long shots

Bob Dylan's songs are truly world music. They speak to all cultures, but for the most part, I like Dylan doing Dylan best. I loved all four of the new Bob Dylan songs. "Down in the Flood" and "Cold Irons Blue" are my two favorite of the four.

For me, the standout was Shirley Caesar doing the cover of "You Gotta Serve Somebody." It's outstanding and the one song that's gotten a lot of play in this house.

Los Lobos does a great job of "On a Night Like This," giving the song a romantic Latino flair singing part of the lyrics in Spanish. I probably would have liked the Jerry Garcia cover of "Senor" better, if it weren't live.

The Italian (rap) version of "Like a Rolling Stone" is a big miss for me. So's the opening "My Back Pages" in Japanese. This is somewhat anomalous since I love world music and different language covers.

Give the songs a listen before you buy this. If you're a strong Dylan collector, the CD is a must.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008 June 10, 2008

I like it. I like it.

Variety of songs by a talented variety of artists. This album has texture. And Bob Dylan sings as well - my favorite. The other artists and musicians fit in well with his general type of work, I think. Different, and very nice album. October 27, 2007

Pretty good album

This album, from the movie that I never saw is pretty damn good. Lots of good covers of Bob Dylan songs. There's an Italian rap version of Like A Rolling Stone that I'm guessing you'll either love or hate. I happen to love it. I believe that this movie was soundly panned when it came out, which may or may not be good enough reason to rent it!
Viva Bob Dylan! October 19, 2007

Brilliant, original and enjoyable

There is a lot of good music here and serious thoughts. Listen to the preacher's injunction at the beginning. The tone is of the typical evangelistic tirade, but the words are quite different: "God does not suffer. He does not feel pain...People, ask yourselves a question, are you humble before God?" This is Buddhist not evangelistic Christian. It's a question only, are you humble or not. Meanwhile, there are foreign language and other English speaking version of Dylan classics, four great renditions by Dylan and the excellent band that had Larry Campbell, Charlie Sexton, Tony Garnier. It ends with the "Dixie Hummingbirds" version of a great new Dylan gospel song, "City of Gold". The original Dixie Hummingbirds are in their second century of existence now, God bless them! September 22, 2007

Fire Him...

Find the executive that made the decision to leave off the incredible version of "The Times They Are A Changin'" by that adorable young lady --- in favor of "My Back Pages" sung in Japanese --- and FIRE HIM!
This CD is great and at the price I paid ($4.00) from an Amazon partner I have no right to complain. But to me, that is one of the songs to be included in the CD. After all it was good enough to use in the trailer.....WHERE IS IT SONY/COLUMBIA?????
After being accustomed to hearing Bob sing his songs for so long, the differing versions by other artists took a little getting used to for me, but I kinda like them now. Plus the songs Bob does are terrific and "Dixie" and "Diamond Joe" are infectious - you'll find yourself singing or humming long after the song is over. Get this CD - a rare enjoyable soundtrack ... and at a good price too. March 2, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...