"I Love the Life I Live." A sumptuous feast, "Across the Borderline" balances the stark guitar-and-voice ardor of "Who'll Buy My Memories?" (1991); both bespeak a master's revival.

"The same hand that led me through scenes most severe/Has calmly assisted me home," Bob Dylan sings on "Lone Pilgrim," one of the traditional folk marvels that make "World Gone Wrong" a fitting follow-up to last year's "Good As I Been to You" and another remarkably strong showing. That guiding hand could signify the American muse that has motivated all his work: By returning to Blind Willie McTell, "Stack a Lee" and such obscure outfits as the Mississippi Sheiks, Dylan reclaims the origins of his own poetry. And it's lovely that in his full maturity he has achieved what had always seemed his proper fate: He's a genius blues singer, oracular and timeless. (RS 672-673)