How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan

by N/A

Overview

Bob Dylan is not a black artist; not thought of as an R&B/soul/blues artist; and not even especially thought of as a songwriter often covered by African Americans. Yet his compositions have garnered their share of interpretations by black musicians, and 20 such covers from 1964-1990 were assembled for this unusual compilation. The Ace label excels at putting together imaginative, cross-licensed anthologies bridging different eras and styles, as well as combining material by stars and unknowns, and How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan is no exception. None of these tracks were hits, but the majority of the performers were either very popular (Nina Simone, Solomon Burke, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Booker T. Jones, Esther Phillips, Brook Benton, the Isley Brothers, the Neville Brothers, the O'Jays, the Staple Singers, Patti LaBelle) or had a solid level of niche popularity (the Persuasions, Howard Tate, Freddie Scott, Bobby Womack). Most of the songs date from the '60s, but a couple post-'60s compositions do dot the program. But while there's no faulting this CD on packaging grounds (including Ace's usual excellent liner notes), the music isn't quite as exciting as it is historically interesting. For the most part, these don't rate among either the best or more inventive Dylan covers. They're often simply competent tracks done in a more soul-oriented style than these items usually are. Highlights are naturally the cuts where performers strongly imprint their own personalities or come up with a particularly effective arrangement, like Nina Simone's impassioned "Just Like a Woman"; the Isley Brothers' surprisingly restrained and heartfelt "Lay Lady Lay"; the Persuasions' a cappella "The Man in Me"; and the Staple Singers' "Masters of War," which with a 1964 recording date goes back to their folk days. It might be a little harsh to suggest that some of the lesser efforts verge on forced novelty, but certainly Solomon Burke's strange 1965 version of "Maggie's Farm" does not play to that great soul singer's strengths. Other items are not so much worthy of praise or criticism as they are fairly perfunctory or unremarkable. It's also undeniable that this is missing some of the best and most famous African American Dylan covers, like Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower," Richie Havens' "Just Like a Woman," Stevie Wonder's "Blowin' in the Wind," or (to dig a little deeper) anything from Odetta's fine Odetta Sings Dylan album. There might be room for such selections on subsequent volumes, however, and overall this does a commendable job of putting an eclectic mix of lesser-celebrated Dylan covers in one place. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/05/2010
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667042420

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Esther Phillips   Primary Artist
Bill Brandon   Primary Artist
The Persuasions   Primary Artist
Nina Simone   Primary Artist
O.V. Wright   Primary Artist
Brook Benton   Primary Artist
The Isley Brothers   Primary Artist
Booker T. Jones   Primary Artist
Freddie Scott   Primary Artist
Marion Williams   Primary Artist
Neville Brothers   Primary Artist
The O'Jays   Primary Artist
Patti LaBelle   Primary Artist
Solomon Burke   Primary Artist
Bobby Womack   Primary Artist
Con Funk Shun   Primary Artist,Conductor
Gary "U.S." Bonds   Primary Artist
The Staple Singers   Primary Artist
Major Harris   Primary Artist
Howard Tate   Primary Artist
Ron Fair   Conductor
William S. Fischer   Director,Conductor
Bert Keyes   Director
James Carmichael   Conductor

Technical Credits

Tommy Kaye   Producer
David Robinson   Arranger,Producer
Gene "Bowlegs" Miller   Arranger
Ted Sturges   Producer
Nat Shapiro   Producer
Ron Fair   Arranger,Producer
Ronald Isley   Producer
Jerry Ragovoy   Arranger,Producer
Jerry Wexler   Producer
Rudolph Isley   Producer
Quin Ivy   Producer
Nina Simone   Arranger
O'Kelly Isley   Producer
David Anderle   Producer
Harold Wheeler   Arranger,Producer
Jackie Mills   Producer
Freddie Scott   Producer
Eric Malamud   Producer
Joel Dorn   Producer
Orrin Keepnews   Producer
Bert Keyes   Arranger
Bergen White   Arranger
Bobby Womack   Producer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Con Funk Shun   Arranger
Tony Rounce   Liner Notes,Photo Courtesy
Lelan Rogers   Producer
Arif Mardin   Arranger,Producer
Willie Mitchell   Producer
Steven Van Zandt   Producer
The Isley Brothers   Arranger
David Dashev   Producer
Daniel Lanois   Producer
Douglas R. Gilbert   Photography
Jeffrey Cohen   Producer
George Patterson   Arranger
James Carmichael   Arranger