Under the Red Sky

Bob Dylan's 1990 album "Under the Red Sky" is about as chaotic as trying to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded. With a mishmash of styles ranging from country to rock to children's music, this album leaves you scratching your head wondering what Dylan was thinking. The opening track "Wiggle Wiggle" sounds like something you'd hear at a circus, complete with a chorus of kids chanting along. It feels like Dylan is trying to channel his inner Wiggles, but instead, ends up sounding more like a drunken uncle at a family gathering. The album doesn't fare much better with tracks like "Handy Dandy" and "Cat's in the Well", which meander along without much purpose or direction. It's like Dylan decided to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, but unfortunately, not much does. That being said, there are some moments of brilliance on "Under the Red Sky". The title track has a haunting beauty to it, with Dylan's vocals soaring over a simple acoustic guitar. It's a brief glimpse of the Dylan we all know and love, before he gets back to his musical grab bag of tricks. Overall, "Under the Red Sky" is a mixed bag of an album that will leave you scratching your head and wondering what could have been. It's definitely not a high point in Dylan's discography, but hey, at least it's not as bad as "Self Portrait".