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Dylanesque Live: The London Sessions not only captures Ferry and his band performing the album live (for the camera – not an audience), it also gives insight into the rationale for and creation process of the project. Thankfully, as the interviews with Ferry make clear, his reasons for making the album were noble. As he explains, Dylan is an artist like Donne or Shakespeare, one whose work grows in mystique and quality with the passage of time. In essence, the versions on Dylanesque are Ferry’s interpretations of Dylan’s songs, much like an actor would interpret a Shakespearean monologue.

The 'where's he been hiding?' act for many on this year's series of 'Other Voices', Cork's Mick Flannery has built up a following the best way: word of mouth. After this, many more will be talking and listening and maybe he'll get his own episode of 'Other Voices' - he certainly has the songs for it.

DREAMS is a 4-CD box set compiling in chronological order tracks by the Allman Brothers Band, as well as tracks by bands featuring one or more member of the Allman Brothers Band and solo performances by Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts.

As a long-time and avid fan of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of the thought of Bryan Ferry doing a whole album of Dylan music. But - his interpretations of each song is brilliant! Ferry puts his heart and soul into each song. It is obvious that he is 'into' it. He plays more harmonica than ever before, and is 'soulful'. The band, overall, is tight and each version of Dylan's songs, actually, improves somewhat on the originals.

Since Illinois had initially been conceived as a double-disc set, it's somewhat less astounding that these "outtakes and extras" often sound like they would fit smoothly into the "real" album's tracklist. Stevens also went back to retool and polish once he decided to release The Avalanche, so it's not like these are just scraps from the cutting room floor. Brief instrumental sketches like "Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne" feel somewhat unrealized, but are the sorts of quirky, pace-setting interludes to which Stevens has often gravitated. Doing a final tally at the end, it turns out that there's about the same number of good songs on The Avalanche as on Illinois, although the very best of the batch was cherry-picked for the latter.

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Although there are several Kaukonen originals collected here, the strongest tracks are blues covers, including versions of Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues," Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied," and a delightfully goofy and ramshackle take on Rev. Gary Davis' "Candy Man".

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The Chymes of Freedom, from the Pacific Northwest, carry on the 1960's folk-rock sounds of The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Jefferson Airplane, Flying Burrito Brothers and more. The band sparkles electric, with a ringing 12-string Rickenbacker, beautiful melodies and lush harmonies. The songs are thought provoking poetic pieces of a Dylanesque style.