Street Legal By Bob Dylan Review
Bob Dylan is one of the best artists and writers in music history. He’s an amazing singer and guitarist, and is an overall legend. He also has some of the most iconic or well known songs and albums in rock history. The first album I listened to by Bob Dylan was Blood On The Tracks, which is probably also his most famous album.
Compared to Blood On The Tracks, Street Legal is definitely more lively, or uplifting, and it also has more of a rock/jazz/soulful feel to it. Street Legal is one of those albums you’d listen to in a good mood, or if you’re on a drive through the city.
Bob Dylan sprinkles jazz throughout the album that complements the themes of rock and roll in a very subtle way. It adds more flavor and a boost of sound to the record, but doesn’t shy away from the guitar instrumentals or the vocals. He also has soul and jazz back-up vocalists in the album that bring an old-school feel to each song they’re in.
The vocals from Dylan are definitely very powerful in this album. In the song “No Time To Think,” which is a ballad on the struggles of society and politics, he sings with a lot of soul and emotion.
On the song, “Baby, Stop Crying”, Dylan brings some heartfelt vocals and slow guitar strings that make this song a slow point on the album. His lyrics are full of care and compassion for a lover that he is singing about. It’s a song that is very relatable and great to listen to. The back-up vocals are great on this song, too.
The song “True Love Tends to Forget” also has a similar guitar instrumental from “Baby, Stop Crying”, but it’s a more positive song, even though it talks about the struggles of love and heartbreak.
The rest of this album is also very positive and he sings of resolving his heartbreak on the two final songs of the album. The entire album makes you feel like you’re going with Dylan on a journey through love in the city.
Street Legal is one of those albums that truly makes you feel like you’re in New York City. Whether if it’s the fusion of jazz and rock, or the cover art of the album, Bob Dylan brings you the spirit of NYC in this album.
Album Grade: 9.5/10