Bob Dylan

“Fallen Angels”

Columbia

When Bob Dylan released 2015’s “Shadows in the Night,” the idea of an iconoclast like Dylan covering Sinatra seemed ridiculous. But the resulting album proved to be both heartfelt and sincere, and the mixture of Dylan’s nasal delivery and Sinatra’s memory proved strong enough to make the album a qualified winner. Now Dylan returns to that well and gives us more of his favorite tracks from the book of Ol’ Blue Eyes. “Fallen Angels” does not deliver quite as well as “Shadows,” probably in part because it lacks the same novel surprise factor. But there are still a few things worth hearing, and Dylan’s takes on “Young at Heart” and “Maybe You’ll Be There” are easily the best of the bunch, with the latter song in particular being as close to vintage Dylan as we are likely to ever get again. CV

Christopher the Conquered

“I’m Giving Up on Rock & Roll”

Independent

There are primarily two camps when it comes to people who are familiar with Des Moines’ own Christopher Ford: those who feel he’s too pretentious/egotistical/flighty/(fill in the blank) to be worth their time, and those who are full converts and believe him to be amongst the most talented artists working in town. Increasingly, those in the second camp are the ones who are right, and “I’m Giving Up on Rock & Roll” should be the album that settles the argument for good. The bombastically named title track is a glorious, thunderous introduction to the album, and everything that follows exhibits Ford’s songwriting and vocal talents at their absolute apex. This album is the best thing Ford has ever done, and might just be one of the best albums ever produced in the state — a genuine sonic masterpiece. CV