Bob Dylan takes on Frank Sinatra with surprising class on 'Shadows in the Night'

For a songwriter of his stature, Bob Dylan has released a surprising number of cover albums during his five-plus decades in the music business. For his fourth since 1992, Dylan takes on Frank Sinatra and it’s safe to say that it’s a heck of a lot better than 2009’s bombastic cacophony of Christmas in the Heart.

If there was one thing good that came out of that bizarre Christmas album, it was that Dylan could use his voice to croon out the classics. Shadows in the Night further develops that, but only with tunes made famous by Ole Blue Eyes. At first, the idea sounds fishy - Sinatra was beloved for his smooth vocals, but Dylan has spent a lifetime facing criticism over his worn-out, rough voice.

Had Dylan taken on the Chairman of the Board years ago, it wouldn't have worked. But since he’s managed to figure out how to use a voice ravaged by drug use and smoking, it comes off as respectful. Shadows only features Sinatra songs that Dylan knows he can sing, with smooth tunes like “The Night We Called It A Day,” “Some Enchanted Evening” and “What’ll I Do.”

His performance of “Some Enchanted Evening” is particularly surprising, as the whole tone of the record works in its favor. Dylan is backed by his usual touring band, including Charlie Sexton and Stu Kimball on guitar, Donnie Herron on pedal steel guitar and Tony Garnier on bass. However, Dylan brought in a group of horn players to accent his vocals.

Dylan teased Shadows last spring by posting “Full Moon and Empty Arms” on his site. That was a perfect preview of the album, which runs a scant 35 minutes and only includes 10 songs.

Sure, you could listen to Tony Bennett or other singers cover these tunes, but Dylan adds a worthwhile entry to the hundreds of Sinatra cover albums out there. There might be some feeling out there that Dylan shouldn’t waste time singing other people’s songs, but hearing Shadows proves that it was worth it. The album isn’t about copying Sinatra. It’s about taking songs written by Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Rodgers and Hammerstein and others and making them fit to Dylan’s sound.

(Also, it’s totally worth the extra money to get the album on vinyl, since it also comes with the CD.)

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