Bob Dylan – ‘Shadows In The Night’

On the release of his 1970 covers album ‘Self Portrait’, Bob Dylan was crucified. “What is this shit?” sneered Rolling Stone. Now, though, he’s earned the right to do what he wants. In 2010, he tackled festive favourites on ‘Christmas In The Heart’, and this 36th studio album collects jazzy standards once recorded by Frank Sinatra. Irving Berlin’s ‘What’ll I Do’ and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ are delicately accompanied by a five-piece band, but with none of the strings you might expect. Dylan sounds as smooth as he did on 1969’s ‘Nashville Skyline’, his smoky tone drawing out the melancholy of ‘Autumn Leaves’ and hitting a yearning note on ‘Stay With Me’. It’s all wildly self-indulgent, but pleasant enough.