10 Most Underrated Bob Dylan Songs
9. Crossing The Rubicon
That Dylan continues to release albums into his 80s is impressive; that they’re as good as 2020’s Rough And Rowdy Ways is downright otherworldly. Dylan’s latest is one of his best in years, and while the showstopper is his JFK-themed epic “Murder Most Foul”, the stealth classic is “Crossing The Rubicon”.
It’s textbook Dylan - he takes a historical jumping off point, here the endeavours of Julius Caesar, and weaves a wry, rambling narrative over a blues shuffle for seven endlessly enjoyable minutes.
He’s not been so lithe on the mic for many a year, perhaps since “Stuck Inside Of Mobile”-era word salad Dylan. He postures, throws out threats, conjures violent images, and sounds like he’s having a blast doing it.
Musically it’s not his most exciting track ever, but when the song is this downright fun, it doesn’t really matter. He’s an old gunslinger doing precisely what he wants to, and through sheer fortune, it comes out sounding great.