HIGHWAY OF DIAMONDS – BLACK AMERICA SINGS BOB DYLAN.

dereksmusicblog ♦ January 29, 2026 ♦ Leave a comment

Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan.

Label: Ace.

Format: CD.

Release Date: 30th January 2026. 

In 2010, Ace released the first in a new compilation series ‘How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan.’ Since then, six further instalments in the Black America Sings series have been released. 

On Friday ‘30th,’ January 2026 Ace will release a new instalment in the Black America Sings series. This is ‘Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan.’ It features twenty tracks from everyone from The Staple Singers, Bettye LaVette, Natalie Cole and Cassandra Wilson to Merry Clayton, Aaron Neville, Sarah Vaughan and Lizz Wright. These artists covered some of Dylan’s most famous and best loved songs between 1965 and 2017. 

Some of these tracks aren’t just covers of Dylan’s tracks. Instead, the artists and groups on ‘Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ rework the tracks, breathing new life and meaning into them. This mixture of classic tracks and familiar songs are reinvented and reimagined by some of the most important African-American artists of the 20th century. Other artists may not be as well known, but are certainly not lacking in talent as they take familiar and much-loved songs in a new direction.

Only the anthemic ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ featured on ‘Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ and ‘How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan.’ When it was released as a single, ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ spoke to all Americans, regardless of their colour or creed. This was the start of Dylan’s influence on black music in America. 

Throughout his career, many other artists have covered Dylan’s songs. From folk, pop and rock to soul and psych to jazz, blues  and gospel. Dylan has been one of the most influential singer-songwriters over the past seven decades.

Opening ‘Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ is ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ by The Staple Singers. It featured on their 1968 album ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love.’ Soul and gospel are combined with social comment on what’s one of the highlights  of the group’s last album for Epic. After this, they signed to Stax, and enjoyed the most successful period of their long career.

‘Everything Is Broken opened Bettye LaVette’s 2012 album ‘Thankful N’ Thoughtful.’ Her lived-in vocal is a mixture of frustration and anger, but sometimes becomes wistful and there’s a sense of resignation, that things aren’t changing, and if anything, are getting worse. LaVette lives the lyrics and breathes new life into them.

Natalie Cole covered ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ on her 1999 album ‘Snowfall On The Sahara on Elektra.’ Cole’s smouldering and sanctified cover is a majestic mix of jazz, soul and funk. It’s without doubt one of the highlights of the compilation.

Soul singer Maxine Weldon released a cover of  ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ on Mainstream in 1971. The following year, 1972, the track featured on Weldon’s debut album ‘Right On.’ It was produced by Bob Shad and featured some top session players. Weldon’s reading of  Dylan’s bittersweet lyrics veer between poignant and thoughtful to defiant. It sounds as if she has lived and experienced the  lyrics. For anyone yet to discover Maxine Weldon’s music, this is a tantalising taste of what this truly talented singer is capable of. 

‘Shelter From The Storm’ is one of the highlights of Dylan’s critically acclaimed 1975 album ‘Blood On The Tracks.’ Cassandra Wilson covered the song on her 2002 album for Blue Note, ‘Belly Of The Sun.’ It was an eclectic album produced by Wilson who wrote three tracks and cowrote another. The rest were cover versions. One of the most powerful, poignant and beguiling is her reworking of ‘Shelter From The Storm.’

‘Rainy Day Women #12 and 35’ was recorded by Merry Clayton for third album ‘Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow.’ It was released on Ode in 1975 and was arranged and produced by Gene McDaniels. He plays his part in this effervescent and exuberant take on a Dylan classic. For newcomers to Clayton’s music, the best place to start is her debut album ‘Gimme Shelter’ and the self-title followup. 

Clayton was also part of The Brothers and Sisters Of Los Angeles when they released their debut album ‘Dylan’s Gospel.’ It’s a hidden gem of an album, and one of the highlights is an impassioned cover of ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’ where gospel and soul are combined.

Impassioned and heartfelt describes Aaron Neville’s cover of  ‘Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight.’ It’s a track from his 1993 album ‘The Grand Tour,’ which was produced by Steve Lindsey. This Dylan cover was one of the highlights of the album.

‘If Not For You’ was covered by Sarah Vaughan on her 1971 album, ‘Time Of My Life.’ It was produced by Bob Shad and released on Mainstream. Accompanying Vaughan were a band that featured top session players. Despite the all-star band, the album wasn’t a commercial success. However, ‘If Not For You’ is a reminder of one of the great voices of jazz on an oft-overlooked album.

Lizz Wright’s beautiful, heartfelt cover of ‘Every Grain Of Sand’ is taken from her 2017 album ‘Grace.’ The song featured a slow, understated arrangement that allows the vocal to take centre-stage on this poignant and plaintive devotional.

Closing ‘Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ is ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ by The Caravans. They breathe life, meaning and emotion into the lyrics of one of Dylan’s greatest ever songs.

For the most part, ’Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ is another quality compilation in this occasional series.

It features familiar faces and what will be new names on this carefully curated compilation. There’s everything from soul, gospel. jazz, funk and R&B on the long-awaited and much-anticipated followup to ‘How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan.’ 

After sixteen years, the wait is nearly over and ’Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ will be released by Ace on Friday ‘30th,’ January 2026. For anyone who loves black music or is a fan of Bob Dylan, ’Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan’ is a must-have compilation.

Highway Of Diamonds – Black America Sings Bob Dylan.