Shadow Kingdom

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A review by Scott Bauer of the Associated Press praised the arrangements, noting how the "heavy dose of accordion and no drums" make the songs "sound fresh again". Bauer also claimed that the album "stands as a good retort for all the naysayers who have argued, seemingly from day one, that Dylan can't sing. The subdued arrangements are perfect for Dylan’s well-weathered, unfairly maligned voice". [24] The slow and moody version of ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ definitely sounds like it’s been influenced by the arrangements on Rough and Rowdy Ways, as do some of the other songs on the album. Zimmerman, Lee (June 5, 2023). "Dylan Does Dylan, With a Mellower Mindset". American Songwriter . Retrieved June 5, 2023. Then Alma H’arel’s film evaporated into the digital ether, its noir-ish settings turning dark, apparently never to return. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month.

Music Review: Bob Dylan's 'Shadow Kingdom' reimagines well-known, obscure songs". AP News. May 31, 2023 . Retrieved May 31, 2023. Kitty Empire gave it a 5-out-of-5 star review in The Guardian, calling it "completely thrilling" and identifying the high point as Dylan's "poignant drawl on a sensational ' What Was It You Wanted', a series of accusatory questions that stress how slippery knowledge is". Empire also compared the Bon Bon club's atmosphere to "the vibe of the sleeve art of last year’s Rough and Rowdy Ways". [17] See also [ edit ] Kennard, Dan (June 9, 2023). "Bob Dylan - Shadow Kingdom". The Spill Magazine . Retrieved June 11, 2023. Uncut's Damien Love also invoked the work of Lynch, describing Shadow Kingdom as "deeply-felt surrealist-noir-Americana", as well as the paintings in Dylan's own "Beaten Path" series ("a handmade place of lost highways and forgotten barrooms and city lights in smeary rain; of lonely drive-in movie lots and funky diners and juke joints that all seem to float in some unfixed time that could be anywhere from the early-1930s to early tomorrow morning") and the Depression-era boarding-house setting of Conor McPherson's musical play Girl from the North Country. [16]For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Shadow Kingdom the album, then, turns out to be an extremely useful addition to the Dylan catalogue, and very much of a piece with his current manoeuvres. Think of it as a companion to Rough And Rowdy Ways, and that album’s ongoing tour: as if Dylan were reinventing those ‘Early Songs’ in the same silvery light, and getting them out of the way before he hits the road again to concentrate on his Latest Songs. Are they miming? Is Dylan miming, hiding behind his vintage microphone? Are the cigarettes real or are they stage props? Would it matter if they were? After all, Dylan did warn us this was his “shadow kingdom”, where things might not be as they appear, where a simulacrum of the best gig ever can beat a real gig, and where the play of chiaroscuro is all. Four selections turn up on both Shadow Kingdom and in recent live setlists – When I Paint My Masterpiece, Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine), I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and To Be Alone With You. And while the roadhouse rhythm of the touring band is replaced by more of a stealthy cantina sway – lots of accordion and acoustic guitars, no piano or fiddle – there’s a clear affinity. Songs hang in the air, implying rather than asserting uncanny dimensions. Dylan’s voice, again, is quite beautiful, with a control and nuance so many thought he’d lost. Empire, Kitty (July 24, 2021), "Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom live stream review – Dylan's juke joint of dreams", The Guardian , retrieved September 20, 2022 {{ citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year ( link)

Catlin, Roger (July 21, 2021). "Clearing the Smoke at Dylan's Streaming 'Kingdom' ". The Vinyl District . Retrieved July 29, 2021. Top Albums (Week 23, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved June 12, 2023. A Rolling Stone review by Michaelangelo Matos named Shadow Kingdom one of the "Hear This" recommended albums for the month of June 2023, claiming that Dylan makes his classic songs "seem stunningly brand new". [23] Enhypen Lands Fifth Top 10 on Album Sales Chart With Dark Blood". Yahoo! Entertainment. June 12, 2023 . Retrieved June 13, 2023. Bob Dylan Delivers Streaming Concert 'Shadow Kingdom' ". Jambands. July 20, 2021 . Retrieved July 22, 2021.Willman, Chris (July 19, 2021). "Bob Dylan Gets Smoke in His Eyes, but Not So Much in His Excellent Vocals, in Lynch-esque 'Shadow Kingdom': Stream Review". Variety . Retrieved July 22, 2021. He’s in excellent voice here, and it’s a strikingly intimate-sounding vocal performance, buoyed by the same almost instinctive, sympathetic instrumental flow that sustained Rough and Rowdy Ways. An Unplugged set for the 2020s, but a world away from its 1990s iteration. This has nothing to do with nostalgia. Certainly, at the age of 80, with this performance, Dylan demonstrated that he’s still way out there, still on the beaten path. It’s not dark yet – there are no shadows without light, after all. A film for the plague times, it felt like the end of the world, and the end of the world felt great. Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em.

Certainly, these scenarios recreate the vibe of the sleeve art of last year’s Rough and Rowdy Ways. But in a blog post, the journalist Richard Williams suggests that the live stream’s aesthetic might be inspired by the 2017 stage musical Girl from the North Country, based on the songs of Dylan, which met with the musician’s approval. Though set up as such, it wasn’t a live performance, and the players on film were not those on record. The CD comes with no liner notes or credits to clear up that mystery, which is a shame as it’s worth contextualising. However, it seems likely that the players include Don Was, T-Bone Burnett, accordionist Jeff Taylor, Greg Leisz on mandolin and guitarist Tim Pierce, whose 2022 YouTube video about playing on the session is a fascinating watch. Dylan plays fast and loose with his own work, too. New arrangements are no novelty in this artist’s vast body of work, but tonight’s tunes bear little resemblance to their recorded forebears. Everything here is rejigged magnificently, more or less in keeping with the style of the engrossing Rough and Rowdy Ways – minus the album’s proliferation of piano. All is loose, jazzy, often acoustic; there is no drummer to keep time – because that would be too definite, and we are in a realm where it could be the 20s or the 40s, night or day. a b c Williams, Richard (May 18, 2023). "Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom". Uncut . Retrieved May 26, 2023.

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The mystery surrounding Shadow Kingdom continues, as the musicians who performed on the album aren’t credited in the sleeve notes, but there’s speculation that Dylan’s band included Jeff Taylor (accordion), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, mandolin), Tim Pierce, T-Bone Burnett, Ira Ingber (guitars) and Don Was (upright bass). Bob Dylan Recasts His Old Selves in Ghostly Concert Film Shadow Kingdom". Pitchfork. July 19, 2021 . Retrieved July 22, 2021. He told the Wall Street Journal: “It’s an open space, with concrete pillars and an iron floor, with obligations and sacrifices. It’s a path, and destiny put some of us on that path, in that position. It’s not for everybody.” In the past, Dylan told Pete Townshend that it is the preordained fate of the folk musician, one programmed into Dylan as soon as he took to the stage. “I asked Bob Dylan why he does so many gigs,” Townshend recalled of their encounter at Desert Trip. “He told me, ‘I’m a folk singer. A folk singer is only as good as his memory, and my memory is going.’ He’s doing it to keep his memory alive.“ A real-life noir thriller from the dawn of Dylan’s career. A location shrouded in enigma and subterfuge (a Santa Monica soundstage being somewhat less romantic). A livestream designed to be ephemeral, to disappear like the smoke from all those cigarettes after a couple of days. And what the subtitle described as ‘The Early Songs Of Bob Dylan’, reconfigured without drums to complement the liminal atmosphere of director Alma Har’el’s visuals. The Shadow Kingdom, it seemed, was not built to last.

It’s a great time to be a Bob Dylan fan. Over the past few years, we’ve been treated to a masterful studio album, 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, some essential official Bootleg Series releases, like Springtime In New York and January 2023’s Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions, superb live performances and a mysterious, stylised, and brilliant ‘concert’ film, Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan.

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Bals, Fred (July 2, 2021). "What We Know and What We Can Guess About Bob Dylan's "Shadow Kingdom" ". Medium . Retrieved July 22, 2021. Shadow Kingdom showcases Bob Dylan in an intimate setting as he performs songs from his extensive body of work, created especially for this event. It marked his first concert performance since December 2019, and first performance since his universally acclaimed album Rough and Rowdy Ways. [10] In addition to Dylan, who plays guitar and harmonica and sings, most of the song arrangements consist of two additional guitars, a bass and an accordion. The performance of " Forever Young" also features a dolceola. [11] Film cast [ edit ]