Various Artists
From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan

by Ron Wadlinger

Back in 2003, Bob Dylan teamed up with long-time Larry David associate Larry Charles for Masked and Anonymous, a film generally panned by critics but beloved by a certain faction of Dylan devotees. Accompanying that film was an intriguing soundtrack, featuring the obligatory batch of new Dylan recordings and covers of his songs from the usual suspects (e.g. The Grateful Dead, Los Lobos), but also including lively takes on Dylan’s classics from a diverse gathering of international artists, like Japan’s The Magokoro Brothers, Sweden’s Sophie Zelmani and Turkey’s Sertab Erener. The result was impressive.

Buda Musique has taken the Masked and Anonymous soundtrack a step further with From Another World: A Tribute To Bob Dylan. Whereas the soundtrack featured international artists playing in more traditional rock formats, the performers contributing to From Another World approach Dylan’s songs from the context of their own native musical styles, singing in their own languages and often using instruments unique to their cultures. What results is kind of an exhilarating whirlwind tour of world music brought together under the Dylan banner.

In order to get a sense of how many different directions From Another World travels in, one need only to take a listen to the two versions of “I Want You” on the compilation. First, Burma Orchestra Saing Waing delivers an almost playful instrumental version of the Blonde on Blonde song using a variety of percussion and Asian woodwinds that sound blissfully otherworldly, essentially making a celebration of the song. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Trio Mei Li De Dao use Dylan’s melody as a jumping off point for their instrumental version, using traditional Chinese instruments, including the stringed Zheng cithara, to engage in a dynamic exploration of the song’s various wistful and romantic undertones. There is much to discover here: from the mysterious, almost sinister acoustic rhythms of Eliades Ochoa’s take on “All Along the Watchtower” to the mystic version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” performed by Purna Das Baul and Bapi Das Baul of Bengal to a poignant a cappella performance of “With God on Our Side” by Bhutan’s Lhamo Dukpa and the feisty gypsy brass band take on “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” performed by Macedonia’s Kocani Orkestar. The album as a whole gives significant testimony to Dylan’s ability to reach and inspire musicians across the globe.