Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque

The greatest -- indeed, only -- irony of Bryan Ferry's 2007 album-long tribute to the Bard is that Dylanesque never sounds "Dylanesque." There are no solo acoustic guitars, no swirling organs, no thin wild mercury music, nothing that suggests any of the sounds typically associated with Bob Dylan. No, Dylanesque sounds Ferry-esque: careful, precise, elegant, so casually sophisticated it sometimes borders on the drowsy. There are no new wrinkles, then, apart from a small but crucial one -- unlike his other records, this was recorded quickly, over the course of a week with his touring band in tow. This does give Dylanesque a comparatively loose, off-the-cuff feel, which is a bit of a welcome relief after several decades of cautious, deliberate conceptual albums, and gives the album its understated charm. Since Ferry never radically reinvents the songs -- apart from the sleek, sly propulsion of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and a spare, haunting piano-and-strings version of "Positively Fourth Street" -- this is an album where all the pleasures lay in the subtleties, whether it's how Ferry phrases his delivery, how his road band feels supple yet muscular, how Eno electronically enhances a few tracks or how Robin Trower tears into "All Along the Watchtower." These are the details to savor upon repeated listens, but upon that first spin it's immediately apparent that the Ferry who made Dylanesque is an assured, relaxed vocalist who isn't sweating the specifics, he's simply singing songs with a band that offers sympathetic support. They may not push him, the way that Roxy did in its prime, nor does this have the meticulous ambition of his original work, but again, that's the charm of this album: Ferry has never felt quite so comfortable as he does here, and if that may not be exactly what all listeners are looking for when they listen to his work, this is the quality that will make Dylanesque a small understated gem for certain segments of his die-hard fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Adrianne McDonald Vocals (Background) Andy Newmark Drums Anna McDonald Vocals (Background) Anthony Pleeth String Quartet, Cello Anton Corbijn Cover Photo Bob Clearmountain Mixing Bob Ludwig Mastering Bobby Irwin Drums Bogdan Zarkowski Design Brian Eno Electronics Bryan Ferry Arranger, Art Direction, Farfisa Organ, Harmonica, Producer Chris Spedding Guitar Colin Good Piano, String Arrangements, Associate Producer David E. Williams Guitar Frank Ricotti Percussion Gavyn Wright Violin, String Quartet Guy Pratt Bass Jackie Shave Violin, String Quartet Jon Thorne String Quartet, Viola Joy Malcolm Vocals (Background) Julian Broad Photography Leo Abrahams Guitar Lucy Wilkins Violin Michael Boddy Engineer Mick Green Guitar Oliver Thompson Guitar Paul Carrack Organ Paul Morley Liner Notes Rhett Davies Producer Robin Trower Guitar (Acoustic) Sarah Brown Vocals (Background) Sharon White Vocals (Background) Steven "The Kid" Howard Management Tara McDonald Vocals (Background) Tim Roe Engineer Zev Katz Bass