Oh Mercy

This 1989 album benefited greatly from producer Daniel Lanois’ swamped-up and cinematic New Orleans groove. From the stuttering opening chords of “Political World” to the noirish slow-burn “Man in the Long Black Coat,” it’s also obvious that Bob Dylan’s updated sound dovetailed with fresh songwriting inspiration. Some of it has an alluringly eerie edge too, like the literate, piano-led “Ring Them Bells” and sullen heartbreaker “Most of the Time.” The album stays in your head long after the harmonica-stoked last chords of the melancholic-yet-hopeful closer, “Shooting Star.”