(***½) June 20, 1980.
Dylan has flirted with the use of background, gospel singers since the early 70s, and became adept at it with Street Legal. On Saved, Dylan goes full gospel, and while Biblical references abound on many albums, they are the most overt here. It all leads to a rowdy good time, with rocking numbrs “Solid Rock” and the title track, along with the call and response “Are You Ready?” and the slower opening number “Satisfied Mind.” But perhaps the highlights of the record are the love ballad “Covenant Woman,” which goes beyond any religious motif, and the mini epic “In The Garden,” which should have been the closing number. The album has a similar sound to Street Legal, but I prefer the songs on that album more than Saved, which suffers from a lack of flow throughout, but both are a success.
Top 10! Totally underrated release.
For those who mock this album, they just don’t get it.
“Saved”…”Covenant Woman”(my first wedding song)…”Solid Rock”….”Are You Ready” are as good as anything Bob has done.