The new Bob Dylan - Tempest - is Dylan's greatest record of the 21st century, and easily a five star record. It sports a fabulous collection of songs, the band is red hot, Dylan is on great voice, and this may well be the "Desire" of his last period. If Dylan is in an Indian Summer, it is surely one of the most impressive late periods artistically ever seen, and this record cements Dylan as one of the very greatest artists to span the past century. An instant classic. The vinyl is pretty good and sounds very good, better than the enclosed CD (which is decent enough) - I have not truly loved a Dylan record in near 20 years.
Diana Krall's Glad Rag Doll has a cover aimed straight at the grandpa audiophile crowd. Verging on tasteful porn, it is pretty blatant - Krall set up as a bordello whore, maybe a conscious attempt to differentiate the music contained in the sleeve from her previous string of smooth jazz-lite stuff, and it is quite different, albeit ground heavily trodden by others, starting with Cassandra Wilson and following through Madeline Peyroux as the obvious reference points. Krall has neither the soul of Cassandra or the authenticity of Peyroux, and at times, her singing here can come perilously close to being so passion-less it becomes somnambulist, but in quite a few cases, it works quite well. If it shows a path for Krall to grow along, it may be of interest. The vinyl pressing is not terribly good, but the sound is fine.
Bettye LaVette's Thankful N'Thoughtful is for me her best album yet. It is a better set of songs and very directly delivered, with perfect accompaniment and sound. Cut a 45rpm, this one cuts some deep, powerful sonics, it packs a punch, it is raw and direct rock & soul delivered by a prop who gets better every time. Great record.
The return of Bobby Womack via Blur's Damon Albarn is another matter entirely. Albarn gives Womack a very modern setting, touching on electronica and beats, but also very natural, and Womack fits right on top like a well worn glove, delivering a fabulous set of personal and powerful songs with a voice that shows the years but makes no apologies for it. A decent pressing and good sound clearly cut from digital. One of the best records of the year and a great comeback from a great, under appreciated artist.
Keeping with the older folks Ry Cooder delivers his Election Special, and makes it quite clear he will not be voting for Mitt Romney come November. Whatever your politics, this is s short, tight, beautifully played simple record, full of great playing superbly recorded, often hilarious, never taking itself too seriously - and in this age of hyper polarized demagoguery fueled by 'angry old white men', at minimum this good hearted record has the ability to ease the partisan passions and poke some fun at an election, and a country, which is far from funny. Superb pressing and sound. Not to be missed.
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