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Rating: The second episode of Dylan's uninspiring Christian trilogy, "Saved" floats between poorly arranged and superfluous, but there's something worth salvaging.
The two opening tracks, "A Satisfied Mind" and "Saved" are not particularly striking. The slow "Covenant Woman" and "What Can I Do For You" are better, with a captivating harmonica solo at the end of the latter. "Solid Rock" is rousing but the lyrics irritate those who don't embrace the faith that the Preacher Dylan sings about. The gospel "Pressing On" is forgettable. Without a doubt, the highlight of the album is the evangelical "In the Garden", often exploited live with great results. An otherwise uninspiring record finds genuine momentum with this captivating ballad. "Saving Grace" is nice, but a bit hastily crafted. "Are You Ready" fails to convince.
In short, the album is somewhat lackluster despite the prominent electric rock blues. The religious lyrics, so poetic on “Slow Train Coming”, lack bite, sometimes cloying: “Nations are angry, cursed are some, people are expecting a false peace to come”; “I've been saved by the blood of the lamb, I'm so glad, I want to thank you, Lord!”
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Dylan seems to be on a downward slide, and we'll have to wait a little longer for a good album: the next one, “Shot of Love”, will be just slightly worse.
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By Rudy Basilico
Doing something unpopular, ignoring what critics and the public will say, just to follow what you feel inside, I think is the most artistic thing there can be.
'Saved' is an album with its own exotic charm, one of those that makes you wonder 'how can someone produce an album like this??' and yet you keep listening to it.
