by DAVID FRICKE
(RS 906 - October 3, 2002)

Mary Lee's Corvette Blood On The Tracks
RS Rating:

Your eyes do not deceive you. And your doubts won't last. This is a complete recreation of Bob Dylan's untouchable 1975 divorce album, executed with a quietly direct magnificence enhanced by the modesty of its origins (a one-time 2001 New York club show, rescued from a soundboard cassette) and eclipsed only by Dylan's definitive recording.

There is a savory Blonde on Blonde air to the organ and piano coursing through the band's faithful acoustic picking, while the bright bite in Mary Lee Kortes' voice -- the high-mountain sunshine of Dolly Parton, with a sweet-iron undercoat of Chrissie Hynde -- turns up the female hurt and fight in "Tangled Up in Blue" and "You're a Big Girl Now."

The ultimate compliment: Dylan likes this album so much he has featured one of the tracks on his Web site.