Under the Red Sky

followed , his most critically acclaimed album in years, with , a record that seemed like a conscious recoil from that album's depth and atmosphere. By signing , the king of mature retro-rock, as producer, he guaranteed that the record would be lean and direct, which is perhaps exactly what this collection of simplistic songs deserves. Still, this record feels a little ephemeral, a collection of songs that didn't really care that much about. In a way, that makes it a little easier to warm to than its predecessor, since it has a looseness that suits him well, especially with songs this deliberately lightweight. As such, is certainly lightweight, but rather appealing in its own lack of substance, since has never made a record so breezy, apart from (maybe) . That doesn't make it a great, or even good, record, but it does have its own charms that will be worth searching out for Dylanphiles. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine