In a departure from the introspection on his previous disc, in 1976’s
Desire album Dylan shows a sense of innocence and curiosity about the world outside himself. Dylan also wrote a lot of the lyrics with a stellar songwriter in Jacques Levy and gave EmmyLou Harris a turn as a background vocalist, which proved to be great choices. Highlights include “Hurricane,” the legendary wrongly accused-and-misunderstood-criminal saga, and “
Sara” a beautiful ballad which Dylan evidently thought might help him reconcile with his ex-wife. All in all, the musical and lyrical variety on Desire guarantees a pleasurable listening experience. I think this album holds up well in Dylan's great body of work.
