Dylanesque

From the outside, Bob Dylan and Bryan Ferry appear to be total opposites: one a ragged poet of timeless Americana and the other a dapper Englishman known to haunt discos and cabarets. But Dylan’s songs form a through-line in Ferry’s career, from his very first solo album to 2007’s Dylanesque: an album-length celebration of Dylan's entire career. Ferry succeeds at covering Dylan precisely because the men aren't outwardly similar. Ferry turns homespun folk songs like "Simple Twist of Fate,” “All I Really Want to Do,” and even “The Times They Are A-Changin’” into simmering, sensory rock tracks. He dresses up Dylan’s songs in new clothes but doesn't discard their meaning—instead he accentuates their beauty from a different angle. The most enjoyable performances are the less predictable choices. Ferry coaxes every ounce of uneasy sexuality from “Make You Feel My Love” and turns the folksy “If Not for You” into a cheery offhand strut, underscored by the current of electronics provided by his son Isaac and Brian Eno.