April 9, 2003

Bob Dylan's hippie audience blanched in horror when the great singer-songwriter released his first overtly religious disc in 1979. Of course Dylan had been alluding to the Lord, the Bible, and other matters spiritual as far back (at least) as "Wicked Messenger" in 1967, but a disc crammed top to bottom with songs relating to Christ was a very heavy dose for the followers of Bohemian No. 1. Which meant the songs themselves played second fiddle to the spectacle of a counterculture icon turned evangelical – which meant they were laughed off (albeit with a heavy dollop of nervousness) as a novelty at the time, a "phase." But when covered by "legitimate" gospel artists, as they are here, these tunes are finally allowed to live.

Just about anyone walking down any street anywhere in the world is a more listenable singer than Dylan is (which doesn't mean he isn't a great singer), and here the material crosses into the realm of standard spirituals. The result is a disc with plenty of baggage; it's digitally scrubbed and not likely to get anyone speaking in tongues or rolling in the aisles. I think I'd call this Starbucks checkout gospel.