Bob Dylan – Roadmaps for the Soul Review

Had you presented a map leading close to bountiful treasure, Grammy Awards, or a return to contemporary relevance to Bob Dylan before the 1990s, he would likely have eaten it. That experience would then have informed a new verse for dreck like Wiggle Wiggle or whatever he was thinking about when recording the agonising Knocked Out Loaded. Whatever the case, Dylan found himself with a fresh confidence after the release of Time Out of Mind, an accomplished feeling which simply never left. He caught the last gasp of air reserved for legendary performers and has since been assured success. Not through album releases, as he has had a few clangers since the Love Sick powerhouse, but through the constant presence of Dylan on stage. He reinvents his sound once more during Roadmaps for the Soul, an electrifying performance which reaps the benefits of Time Out of Mind.  

A two-hour concert which begins with a cover favourite of Dylan’s, Friend of the Devil, and closes with the crowd-pleasing Like a Rolling Stone. It is a bit too simple to suggest that the turn of form Dylan offered audiences two years before this performance is the reason for reintroducing so many classics to the setlist, but there must be some impact. Where else can you hear Tangled Up in Blue and It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, performed with such conviction? Dylan sounds outstanding, as does the rest of the band during this set from Ljubljana, Slovenia. A beautiful place to display a love for the hits, which are now lost in the mix of contemporary moments. For a tour which has Time Out of Mind to thank for its success, there are few tracks from the Grammy-winning album. Not Dark Yet and Love Sick would become the clear hits of that album, so much so that they were the lead singles of The Bootleg Series expansion pack released by the Dylan camp.  

Both songs sound excellent here, reinforcing the contemporary sound Dylan found during this period. It is a softer sound which still leaves room for instrumental experimentation, for Dylan to heave new meaning into place, as he does with Every Grain of Sand and Blowin’ in the Wind. Those classics like Mr. Tambourine Man, Masters of War, and Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind feature early. Usually, they are one a set, but there is a delight which runs through Roadmaps for the Soul which must be heard. Dylan and the band are in exceptional form, but also hang on to this feeling of thanks, this acceptance of their relevancy to modern-day music. It is a relevancy, like the confidence Time Out of Mind gave Dylan, which has stuck around. Magnificent instrumental work on A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall and Not Fade Away makes all the difference.  

With listeners spoilt for choice when it comes to bootleg material from Dylan and his many dedicated, tape recorder-wielding fans, Roadmaps for the Soul is an excellent place to start. It offers a few selections of critically acclaimed quality and a rush through the hits of the past, the 1980s included. Shot of Love features within this set, as do the expected hits from Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited. Dylan combines four decades of work and comes to terms with his legacy. These are the clearest performances of some of his all-time greats. Mr. Tambourine Man sounds astonishing. An in-form Dylan and the band are on hand to reassess the meaning of these classics, and they do so convincingly.