Dylan rushed out
New Morning in the wake of the commercial and critical disaster
Self Portrait, and the difference between the two albums suggests that its legendary failed predecessor was intentionally flawed.
New Morning expands on the laid-back country-rock of
John Wesley Harding and
Nashville Skyline by adding a more pronounced rock & roll edge. While there are only a couple of genuine classics on the record ("If Not for You," "One More Weekend"), the overall quality is quite high, and many of the songs explore idiosyncratic routes
Dylan had previously left untouched, whether it's the jazzy experiments of "Sign on the Window" and "Winterlude," the rambling spoken word piece "If Dogs Run Free" or the
Elvis parable "Went to See the Gypsy." Such offbeat songs make
New Morning a charming, endearing record. [
New Morning was re-released on LP in 2014.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine