Cat Power
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
(Domino)
★★★

LAST year US singer-songwriter Chan Marshall – AKA Cat Power – undertook a song-for-song rendition of Bob Dylan’s 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall Concert. Marshall performed and recorded the set at the Royal Albert Hall, which Dylanologists will know is what the bootleg of the legendary gig was mislabelled as. 

A respectful rendition of the source material, a valiant attempt is made to create the sound of Dylan and The Hawks. The first half is an intimate set of acoustic songs, including an arresting version of Just Like A Woman. Naturally, Marshall plugs in for the second half, although tracks like Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues and Like A Rolling Stone feel somewhat underwhelming compared to Dylan’s electrifying, slightly unhinged performance.