Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 02/01/2008
Run Time: 46:24
Say what you want about
Empire Burlesque -- at the very least, it's the most consistent record
Bob Dylan has made since
Blood on the Tracks, even if it isn't quite as interesting as
Desire. However, it is a better set of songs, all deriving from the same place and filled with subtle gems -- the most obvious being
"Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?)," but also
"Emotionally Yours" and
"Dark Eyes" -- proving that his powers are still there. The rest of the album may not be as graceful, but it's still well-crafted songwriting that never fails to be interesting. The record's biggest flaw is its state-of-the-art production; this is every bit as slick as
Street Legal, but now sounds more focused and more of its time -- thanks to a reliance on synthesizers and mildly sequenced beats -- than it did upon its original release. All this makes
Empire Burlesque seem more transient than it actually is, since -- discounting the production -- this is as good as
Dylan gets in his latter days.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide