Dylan's World Gone Wrong

He believes in them and make them come alive, sounding at times (most notably on Blind Willie McTell’s “Broke Down Engine”) incredibly like he did on his first album, though older and wiser.

A couple of years ago in an interview in Song Talk, a quarterly published by the National Academy of Songwriters, Bob Dylan said, “The world don’t need any more songs.” Judging by most of the new songs coming out on records these days, he’s probably right. 

In any case, he’s apparently living up to his words. Aside from a song co-written with Willie Nelson in the past year, there’s been no new songs from Dylan since 1990. His brand new album, World Gone Wrong, is yet another collection of old folk songs and blues, recorded live in the studio with Dylan accompanying himself on guitar and harp. At first, it seems bluesier than last year's similar effort, Good As I Been to You, but that feeling is deceptive there are only four actual "blues" songs. This time around, Dylan decided to give credit where credit is due by acknowledging his sources in some fairly wild liner notes, “About the Songs (what they’re about),” which reveal that while he may not be creating any new songs, he can still write. 

The notes read like a free-form poem, and Dylan slyly uses his vision of the songs to get across his feelings about society - the world gone wrong. The tone of the notes also indicates that somewhere in his brain the ‘65 Bob Dylan is still lurking around.

World Gone Wrong is more focused performance-wise than Good As I Been To You, both in Dylan’s singing and guitar playing. What comes across is how much he likes - make that loves - these old songs, whether ancient ballads or blues. He believes in them and make them come alive, sounding at times (most notably on Blind Willie McTell’s “Broke Down Engine”) incredibly like he did on his first album, though older and wiser. 

Among the more powerful tunes is the sorta blues murder ballad “Delia,” which he has been performing in concern the past few years. Culled from several different versions, it’s Dylan’s strongest vocal on the album.

Equally strong is the ballad “Jack A-Roe” - about a woman who dresses as a man and sneaks on a battleship to find her lover. Joan Baez recorded this about this about three decades ago, but Dylan credits his version to the New Lost City Ramblers’ Tom Paley. When Baez sang it, it was pretty and nice. Dylan drives the song with his guitar and his real low singing adds another, closer-to-spooky dimension. 

Dyan pulls out his gentlest voice for “Lone Pilgrim,” a song he learned from a Doc Watson record. Also eerie, with an other-worldy quality. It is reminiscent of his own “Dark Eyes” from Empire Burlesque. 

Also strong are the Mississippi Sheiks’ “Blood in My Eyes” and “World Gone Wrong,” Willie Brown’s “Ragged and Dirty,” and another battle ballad, “Two Soldiers.”

This album is no attempt to cash in on the so-called “unplugged” craze - it’s way beyond that. The point isn’t whether Dylan plays “Broke Down Engine” as well as Blind Willie McTell - actually he plays it completely differently - the point is the songs, Real songs, valid ones that have been around for years, which Dylan makes live again. In its own way, the album serves as a protest against the ridiculous absurdity of the music industry that churns out more crap at an ever-increasing rate, and what Dylan refers to in the notes as “...the insane world of entertainment.”