Rough And Rowdy Ways

It’s more than singer-songwriter news…it’s something greater than a music-world announcement…it’s nothing short of a pop-culture event when Bob Dylan announces the imminent release of an album of new original songs. Arguably the most revered songwriter alive, and a thoroughly unpredictable, protean artist on top of that, Dylan returns now with his first album of new songs in eight years. The songs are rife with meditative wisdom and riveting poetry, and the sonics range from intimate and warm (the pedal-steel-backed "I Contain Multitudes") to dreamlike and orchestral (the epic John F. Kennedy reflection "Murder Most Foul") to gritty, bluesy and shambolic ("False Prophet"). The 17-minute stunner that is "Murder Most Foul" means that Dylan’s new album spreads across 2 CDs—2 CDs that every Dylan fan is going to need, as what they’re saying is true: this is up there with anything Dylan’s done. Columbia.