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By David F. Dawes
“JESUS is coming – he’s coming back to gather his jewels.”
So quoth Bob Dylan onstage just a few weeks ago, in a rewritten version of one
of his gospel songs, which kicked off his new tour. Just by coincidence (ho ho
ho), the legendary troubadour launched his very first Christmas album a few
days later.
Christmas in the Heart has become Dylan’s most musically controversial offering since Self Portrait, his much maligned 1970 take on standards such as ‘Blue Moon.’
This time, the internet is overflowing with an astonishing amount of bile, aimed
at this harmless little seasonal ornament.
Some amazingly mean spirited Scrooges (many claiming to be his fans) have taken
Santa Bob to task for everything from his voice and his age to the fact that he’s a Jew – and therefore has no business singing about Jesus.
Why so shocked, Ebenezer? There is evidence of the man’s affection for the season, going as far back as the 70s – when he featured ‘Three Angels,’ a pro-Christmas lament, on New Morning. And in his recent incarnation as DJ on Theme Time Radio Hour, he did a two-hour Christmas special.
Fortunately, online forums have been abuzz with comments defending the new
album. One key reason is that all of Dylan’s royalties will go to three groups which feed the hungry.
What of the CD itself?
The art provides a clue: a festive sleighride on the front cover; We Three Kings
on the back; and musicians with Santa hats inside.
There is also a saucy but innocuous painting of fabled pin-up girl Bettie Page
in yuletide garb, which is sufficiently over-the-top to appall any
self-respecting legalists. (Don’t worry brethren, it’s okay: Bettie later became a missionary to Angola.)
The music, complete with honey-sweet backup singers and jingle bells, sounds
like a throwback to the late 50s. Imagine crooner Perry Como’s Christmas TV special being highjacked by his weirdo beatnik brother.
It’s corny, middle-of-the-road and shamelessly sentimental. It’s also an off-kilter delight. The singer’s unique phrasing is largely set aside, as he tackles familiar melodies with
gusto (and hits most of the right notes). Thankfully, he avoids atrocities such
as ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and ‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.’
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There are six songs directly praising Christ’s birth. I especially like ‘Little Drummer Boy,’ which he sings with a palpable humility; and the dignified ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’
The other selections are mostly seasonal favourites, with occasional mentions of
God. Dylan turns Polka King on ‘Must be Santa,’ which is a hoot. And no one gets ‘The Christmas Blues’ quite like ol’ Bob.
My only criticism is that ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ omits the more theologically profound verses.
Speaking of faith: Many critics still haven’t got it through their heads that this artist has done a lot of great things
since the 1960s – including writing classic gospel songs (as evidenced by the 2006 black gospel
DVD, Gotta Serve Somebody). If they would do a bit of online research, they’d see that he also frequently performs gospel songs in concert.
The insulting treatment accorded this album will not prevail; hopefully, some of
the grinches will get a life. Heart is a lovely little Christmas gift, which displays Dylan’s faith in a bigger picture.
Like he once said about Hank Williams’ ‘I Saw the Light’: “I believe the songs.”
November 2009
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