With Bob Dylan, the elephant in the room has always been the Voice. A typical comment— sure, he’s a fine songwriter; he’s written some great songs, but he just can’t Sing. Well, what exactly is good singing? If it’s measured by a pure and pleasing tone, a smooth, sweet sounding, non-threatening style, then no Dylan is not that kind of vocalist. But I would argue that the most effective singers communicate a depth and a range of feeling, emotion, and ideas in a way that is highly affective; if that is the definition of a good singer, then I submit that Bob Dylan has frequently been a great singer throughout his career. Some examples (and I’m asking you to go come along for the ride and Listen to these recordings)— 1964’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” is a concise and expressive depiction of a single incident involving two people that makes crystal clear the sad state of racial injustice in the early ‘60s American south. Or Listen to his wonderfully evocative drug culture, streetwise take down “Subterranean Homesick Blues” from 1965 and his masterful staccato-like, rhythmic delivery that many have heard as a proto-rap style mixed with Chuck Berry. In 1966, “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” gives us yet another Dylan voice whereby he blends humor with genuine existential dread. Listen as he delivers the same closing line nine times, but with a different inflection each time, thus holding our attention. The mid-‘70s masterpiece, Blood on the Tracks, contains some of his most brilliant vocals— “Tangled Up in Blue” is a winding tale of loss and yearning and you can hear it in both the lyrics and Dylan’s inimitable delivery. My favorite example is the heartbreaking “If You See Her, Say Hello” as he “bends, elongates, and wrings every drop of feeling” out of the lyrics to communicate just how desolate and sorry he really feels. In 1991 he released “Blind Willie McTell” and with six minutes and two simple instruments, Dylan presents a stunning summary of over 360 years of African-American history, from the brutality of slavery and the post-Civil War injustice of Jim Crow, but also the artistic flowering of Black music, dance, and more. The singing is as rich as the subject matter. Even Dylan, the old master, can still deliver. Listen to his 2020 “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You” and you’ll hear  a 79-year-old man’s notes of sadness, weariness, loneliness, and resigned desperation mixed still with a measure of faith and hope.

I hope I’ve interested you in re-checking out Bob Dylan, the singer, and perhaps ,too, my new book, DOWN THE ROAD WITH DYLAN – LIVING WITH THE SONGS, which is available exclusively (in paperback or eBook) at BookBaby Book Shop. Thanks, Steve