Bob Dylan: Knocked Out Loaded (Columbia)

DESPITE A high-visibility tour with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, his best band since the Band, Bob Dylan's new studio album is being released with surprisingly little fanfare — which isn't such a bad idea. Knocked Out Loaded continues to mine the vein of musical and spiritual eclecticism which began with Infidels and has since found Dylan with such diverse cohorts collaborating as Sly & Robbie, Arthur Baker and Dave Stewart. His most off-handed record since the underrated Shot Of Love, it features an even more unpredictable cast of characters, including Sam Shepard and Carole Bayer Sager (?!).