New Bob Dylan album looms on the horizon

Press photo courtesy of BobDylan.com

Well, both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork have reported it, so it must be true: Bob Dylan is expected to release a new album next month. Beyond the vague release date ("late April"), details surrounding the forthcoming disc are hazy; the 10-song album is untitled as of yet, and sources close to Dylan say the new album "came as a surprise."

Rolling Stone's David Fricke got a sneak peak of the new songs, and says that "Dylan sings in a leathery growl, capturing the essence of his forthcoming studio album -- raw-country love songs, sly wordplay and the wounded state of the nation." Read more about the sound of the new album in Fricke's article in this month's issue of Rolling Stone, including sample song titles and snippets of lyrics.

Dylan reportedly went on a songwriting spree last year after being commissioned by director Olivier Dahan to pen a song for an upcoming film. The song, "Life is Hard," ended up in this year's My Own Love Song starring Renee Zellweger, and spurred Dylan to create a whole batch of new material. Dylan produced the album under his pseudonym, Jack Frost, and recorded the songs with his touring band and a few guest musicians, one of whom is rumored to be Los Lobos accordionist David Hidalgo. This will be his first studio album since 2006's critically acclaimed Modern Times.

The iconic folk singer is currently embarking on a European tour (see the Pitchfork story for dates), but here's hoping that he'll schedule a hometown show in support of this new record soon.