Ace Records’ ongoing Black America Sings series gets a second helping of classic tunes by Bob Dylan on a new compilation available this week.
Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan, available January 30 in Ace’s native U.K. (and a week later in America), offers 20 compositions from the Nobel Prize-winning songwriter recast for soul, blues and gospel acts including The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Billy Preston, Natalie Cole, Solomon Burke, Merry Clayton, Sarah Vaughan, Aaron Neville and more. The collection, available on CD or two LPs, includes informative song/track liner notes from Tony Rounce.
In a testament to the Dylan songbook’s incredible reach, nearly no two songs featured are from similar albums, spanning from bookending tracks from 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” as sung by The Staple Singers in 1973; a 1966 take on “Blowin’ in the Wind” from gospel act The Caravans) all the way to 1989’s Oh Mercy (a 2012 rendition of “Everything is Broken” by Bettye LaVette). Only “Blowin’ in the Wind” repeats from the previous volume, 2010’s How Many Roads. Along with contemporary and retrospective versions of the songs, several – like Odetta’s version of “Baby I’m in the Mood for You” and Belafonte’s “Tomorrow is a Long Time” – even predate released versions by the man himself. Dylan – long a champion for social justice in his music, who performed at the 1963 March on Washington (where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his best-known “I have a dream” speech) and explored elements of gospel music in his late ’70s/early ’80s exploration of Christianity – has his songs well-met by the caliber and breadth of acts and voices here, who offer unique interpretations and alternate angles on a body of work that is still galvanizing listeners today.
You can pre-order Highway of Diamonds at the links below; as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan (Ace CDTOP 1669/XXQLP2 164 (U.K.), 2026)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
- A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – The Staple Singers
- Everything is Broken – Bettye LaVette
- Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – Nina Simone
- Gotta Serve Somebody – Natalie Cole
- It Ain’t Me Babe – Maxine Weldon
- It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – Billy Preston
- The Mighty Quinn – Solomon Burke
- Shelter from the Storm – Cassandra Wilson
- Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Merry Clayton
- The Times They Are A-Changin’ – The Brothers & Sisters of Los Angeles
- Tomorrow is a Long Time – Harry Belafonte
- Baby I’m in the Mood for You – Odetta
- Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight – Aaron Neville
- If Not for You – Sarah Vaughan
- George Jackson – J.P. Robinson
- When He Returns – Jimmy Scott
- I Threw It All Away – The Bo-Keys feat. Percy Wiggins
- Down Along the Cove – Johnny Jenkins
- Every Grain of Sand – Lizz Wright
- Blowin’ in the Wind – The Caravans
Track 1 from Use What You Got – Fantasy 9423, 1973. Original version from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Columbia CL 1986/CS 8786, 1963
Track 2 from Thankful N’ Thoughtful – Anti- 87195, 2012. Original version from Oh Mercy – Columbia OC 45281, 1989
Track 3 from To Love Somebody – RCA Victor LSP-4152, 1969. Original version from Highway 61 Revisited – Columbia CL 2389/CS 9189, 1965
Track 4 from Snowfall on the Sahara – Elektra 62401, 1999. Original version from Slow Train Coming – Columbia FC 36120, 1979
Track 5 from Right On – Mainstream MRL 319, 1970. Original version from Another Side of Bob Dylan – Columbia CL 2193/CS 8993, 1964
Track 6 from Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music – A&M Records SP-3526, 1973. Original version from Bringing It All Back Home – Columbia CL 2328/CS 9128, 1965
Track 7 from Proud Mary (The Bell Sessions) – Sundazed SC 11079, 2000. Original version from Self Portrait – Columbia C2X 30050, 1970
Track 8 from Belly of the Sun – Blue Note 72435 35072 2 0, 2002. Original version from Blood on the Tracks – Columbia PC 33235, 1975
Track 9 from Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow – Ode SP-77030, 1975. Original version from Blonde on Blonde – Columbia C2L 41/C2S 841, 1966
Track 10 from Dylan’s Gospel – Ode ZIZ 44018, 1969. Original version from The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Columbia CL 2105/CS 8905, 1964
Track 11 from Homeward Bound – RCA Victor LSP-4255, 1969. Original version from Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II – Columbia KG 31120, 1971
Track 12 from Odetta Sings Dylan – RCA Victor LSP-3324, 1965. Original version from Biograph – Columbia C5X 38830, 1985
Track 13 from The Grand Tour – A&M Records 314 540 086-2, 1993. Original version from Infidels – Columbia QC 38819, 1983
Track 14 from A Time in My Life – Mainstream MRL 340, 1971. Original version from New Morning – Columbia KC 30290, 1970
Track 15 from ATCO single 45-6879, 1972. Original version from Columbia single 4-45516, 1971
Track 16 from Heaven – Warner Bros. 46211, 1996. Original version from Slow Train Coming
Track 17 from Heartaches by the Number – Omnivore OVCD-172, 2016. Original version from Nashville Skyline – Columbia KCS 9285, 1969
Track 18 from Ton-Ton Macoute! – ATCO SD 33-331, 1970
Track 19 from Grace – Concord CRE00482, 2017. Original version from Shot of Love – Columbia TC 37496, 1981
Track 20 from I Find No Fault in God – Gospel MG-3041, 1966. Original version from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
