Masked And Anonymous (140 Gram Vinyl)

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