Although the intentions behind this compilation were valid,
Stefanie Reines -- one of the overlords of emo label Drive Thru -- has made an erroneous decision in funding this project. Let's be honest: the number of folks who have covered
Bob Dylan songs with success has been minimal, save for maybe
X and
Bruce Springsteen. Yet the optimistic
Reines had hoped to make the folk and rock pioneer's material accessible to teenagers by letting folks like scat-pop cat
Jason Mraz and emotive youngsters like
Something Corporate interpret the man's songbook. But this double-CD set,
Listen to Bob Dylan, should have the opposite effect on anyone with half a brain and a reasonable pair of ears.
Dylan's songs have never been slick or about over-emoting, but that's just what
Anberlin and
Steel Train do to "Like a Rolling Stone" and "I Shall Be Released," rendering them unlistenable. Heed the disc's title and check
Bob Dylan out if you haven't already, but hold off on plunking down your hard-earned green on this misguided affair. Pick up the
Essential Bob Dylan instead. ~ John D. Luerssen