Bob Dylan is the most influential American lyricist of the last forty years, and an established legend in the worlds of folk and rock music.

Nonetheless, as this DVD proves, his work retains the ability to surprise even longtime fans. It shows his songs out of their usual context, standing up to an audience of brilliant, experienced singers many of whom had never considered themselves Bob Dylan fans.

For the last forty years, Dylan's music has generally been heard by people who already thought of him as a genius. But gospel music is a world apart, where different standards apply and different legends are celebrated. In that world, Shirley Caesar and the Mighty Clouds of Joy are the superstars, and Dylan's work is virtually unknown.

So it is a revelation to watch Caesar or the Clouds' Joe Ligon sinking their teeth into Dylan's lyrics, and recognizing in them a poetic force and spiritual power that links them to the enduring masterpieces of the gospel genre. And yet, it should not really surprise us. Dylan has always had deeper, broader roots in American music than any other popular entertainment figure. In the 1960s, he mixed his revolutionary lyrical gifts with blues, country, rock, and ancient ballad styles, performing each with the profound understanding of someone who genuinely loved and sincerely respected the great artists of the past. When he turned to Christian music in 1979, it was natural that he should create gospel music that was both completely his own and completely suited to the tradition. So maybe the surprise is that it took so long to bring these songs together with a group of artists who have the passion and skill to realize their full spiritual power.

Hearing the artists talk about their relationship with Dylan's words, and experiencing the depth and passion they discover in the material, it is clear that this is a true meeting of equals. As the singers are inspired by Dylan's work, they also give it new meaning and power. The result is that rare encounter of music and performers in which both are enriched, and those of us watching reap the harvest.

Elijah Wald
Elijah Wald is a writer and musician whose books include Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues and Dave Van Ronk's memoir of the 60's folk revival, The Mayor of MacDougal Street.