(**) February 3, 2015 36th Studio Album
As much as I appreciate the many styles and personas Dylan has taken on over the years — from folk singer to rock ‘n’ roller to Holy Roller — his “Sinatra Years” period is not my favorite. Shadows in the Night pulls some well-known and other more obscure songs from the Great American canon of standards, all done by Frank at one point in his career. Dylan provides a straight-on performance of the material, with his touring band and additional horn orchestrations playing subtly behind him. And I think that may be why I don’t really like it. If I wanted to hear these tunes, wouldn’t the works by Sinatra be where I would turn? Dylan is in full crooner mode, and his voice, so raspy on previous recordings of this era, mostly holds up throughout. But I would have preferred if he interpreted the songs in his own style rather than relying on existing versions. Nonetheless, both critics and the general population loved this release, as it reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the US charts, and it does have its charms. “Why Try to Change Me Now” and “That Lucky Old Sun” both fit the Dylan mode. And with 10 songs coming in at 35 minutes, it’s short enough to be enjoyed without getting tedious. But for me it’s primarily something to listen to as I drift off to sleep.