Anything Bob Dylan puts on record is worth a listen. Yet his new
holiday offering, Christmas in the Heart (with all artist
royalties benefiting Feeding America), is more of a curiosity than a
grand work of art. Still, when not croaking out spiritual fare like
Leonard Cohen drunk in a midnight choir (even the Prince of Peace might
have problems forgiving the gruff strains of “Hark the Herald Angels
Sing”), Dylan cuts loose some nice Christmas rarities better suited to
his sanded pipes, like “The Christmas Blues” and the chugging, Tex-Mex
singalong “Must Be Santa.” He includes rarely sung lyrics to standards
too: the intro to “The Christmas Song,” both the Latin and English
versions of “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles),” and the final
chorus and verse of “Winter Wonderland” (where Parson Brown trades
places with a circus clown the other kids knock down). Backed by many
of the musicians who played on Together Through Life, Dylan adds
a bell-clear vocal septet that harmonizes throughout the set in
crystalline fashion. The record isn’t stellar (how many Christmas
albums are?), but it’s unlike anything else under your tree. —
Matt Marshall
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2009.
