'Shadow Kingdom' by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan never ceased to reinvent himself, while never losing touch with who he was. In 2021 he streamed a concert video, Shadow Kingdom. Shot in black and shades of white in a noir nightclub setting (women seated at tables smoke cigarettes), Dylan fronted a masked band (this was still COVID time). The belatedly released soundtrack album contains 14 songs, most of them familiar from the ‘60s with some lyrics and entirely new arrangements. The acoustic combo rode on the thumping rhythm of a big string bass (no drums) with melodies guided by accordion. The ageless “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)” and “Queen Jane Approximately” never sounded like this before. Dylan sang his set with confident restraint, comfortable with the words in an unplugged context where not one syllable was lost.
Steam or download Shadow Kingdom on Amazon here.
