I'm a Bob Dylan fan -- one of my favorite albums of all time is "Blood on the Tracks" (1975). And there's no question about Dylan's transformational role in the history of modern music. He's a road warrior even now, at the age of 73, befitting his concept of himself as a old-fashioned troubadour. He plays tonight at the Fox.
His most recent album is “Shadows in the Night,” a compilation of songs that were also recorded by Frank Sinatra of all people. You have to admire Dylan's courage, if not his judgment, in undertaking such a project. Like Frank, Dylan's strength as a vocalist has always been his phrasing, and time has taken a toll even on a Dylan voice that was always that of an old man. All that said, Frank had things going for him vocally that Bob ... well.
Here's Bob's cover of a "The Night We Called It a Day":
And here is Frank's version:
Frank wins that particular battle, in my opinion. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to hear Frank's version of "Tangled Up in Blue". His version of "Shelter from the Storm"? We can only imagine.
