By Madhuri Dey
Oct. 14 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Christmas has come early for all Bob Dylan fans, which includes pretty much everyone. Hard as it may be to digest, the poster boy of the 1960’s revolutionary age has decided to come up with an album nobody ever expected from him, ‘Christmas in the Heart’, featuring the songs he had grown up listening to, along with the traditional Christmas carols.

The songs are not Dylan’s version of them. He has sung them just the way they have always been sung. It has rendered them likable to every age group; Dylan’s generation, who would feel nostalgia sweep over them as they listen to long forgotten music of their childhood, and the next generations, to whom Dylan is an icon.

Though not his own rendition, Dylan’s trademark voice does lend an extra edge to the timeless songs. After all, no one ever expected to hear a husky, cracked voice singing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ and like it too. The novelty of the idea of Dylan singing something that was only supposed to be sung by warbling singers is something that adds much to the saleability of the album.

The album comprises 15 songs, some popular tracks like ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Have yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, and four traditional Yuletide songs. Dylan dedicates the album to the thousands of destitute children for whom Christmas means just another freezing, hungry day. He has tied up with a welfare organization, Feeding America. All profits from the sales of this album will be divided between them and other charities around the world.

Like it or not, you can’t deny that Dylan continues to shock his listeners today just as he did forty years back!