Love And Theft
by Bob Dylan
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. PopMatters
    100
    "Love and Theft" sees Dylan roaring back from Highway 61 at full bore, reminding us -- as he did on Blonde on Blonde, The Basement Tapes, and Blood on the Tracks -- that, like him or not, there isn't anybody else who can do his job.
  2. Rolling Stone
    100
    The remarkable achievement of Love and Theft is that Dylan makes the past sound as strange, haunted and alluring as the future...
  3. E! Online
    100
    [Dylan's] most cohesive work in over a decade...
  5. Blender
    100
    Not since 1966's Blonde on Blonde has Dylan sounded so happy and alert. [Oct/Nov 2001, p.102]
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  6. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    It may not be a better album than ''Time Out of Mind,'' but it glides from genre to genre with a sprightly glee, as if Dylan were traversing the American musical landscape in search of thrills, revenge, and reparation.
  7. Mojo
    90
    An album virtually bereft of fluff and filler. [Album Of The Month] [Oct 2001, p.104]
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  8. Spin
    90
    Where [Time Out Of Mind] stared down heartbreak and mortality with somber melancholy, Love and Theft finds Dylan taking on those same themes loaded up with piss and vinegar. [Nov 2001, p.127]
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  9. AllMusic
    90
    Not just his best album since Blood on the Tracks, but the loosest, funniest, warmest record he's made since The Basement Tapes.
  10. The A.V. Club
    90
    Love seems to come from a far more freewheeling Bob Dylan than the one on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, or virtually any other album he's recorded.
  11. Neumu.net
    90
    A work of real substance, brimming with honesty, humor and beauty.
  12. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    90
    "Love and Theft" showcases the gloriously sloppy spontaneity he's displayed onstage but only rarely captured on record.
  13. Village Voice
    90
    The voice you hear on "Love and Theft" is not that of the cocky young rock star who wrecked folk by simply strapping on an electric guitar, nor is it the vengeful and crotchety man who dripped Blood on the Tracks. This Dylan is older, wiser, and grousier, but sweeter, more sanguine if still unsettled too.
  14. Spin Cycle
    88
    It doesn't really break any new ground, but that's not the point. This record is about Dylan cutting loose and celebrating the richness of American music.
  15. Sonicnet
    80
    It's been a good three decades since Dylan has sounded as footloose and, er, freewheeling as he does on much of Love and Theft. That it comes on the heels of '97's haunted, hellhound-on-my-trail-vibed Time Out of Mind makes it all the more remarkable.
  16. CDNow
    80
    Love and Theft is a strange trip through Dylan's personal relationship with the blues, whether it's the silly story-song "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum," the mandolin lament "Mississippi," or the solid blues-rock of "Lonesome Days Blues" and "Summer Days."
  17. Launch.com
    80
    No one--and I mean, no one, not even people paid to say such things--is going to confuse this with Highway 61 Revisited or even Nashville Skyline, but when the official Bob Dylan bubblegum card is issued, Love And Theft will certainly rank ahead of Knocked Out Loaded and Saved.
  18. Dot Music
    80
    'Love And Theft' is a much tricksier, elusive and - important, this - entertaining beast, one that mingles reflections on ageing with a host of jokes, both good and bad, and some wickedly limber music.
  19. Q Magazine
    80
    This is little short of a treat: a rambunctious dance through the more sepia-tinted corners of US musical history. [Oct 2001, p.122]
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  20. Austin Chronicle
    78
    He's a thief, a con, a 60-year-old with nothing to say. And he continues saying it.
  21. Shredding Paper
    70
    Doesn't come together as a cohesive effort, as a number of songs just don't fit in. [#11]
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2001
11
#11 Most Discussed Album of 2001
29
#29 Most Shared Album of 2001

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 163 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 146 out of 163
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 163
  3. Negative: 12 out of 163
  1. mhmusicnmovies
    Sep 7, 2010
    10
    An absolutely amazing album ! In my opinion, its Dylan's best since Blood on the Tracks (1975) and arguably one of Bobby's best three or fourAn absolutely amazing album ! In my opinion, its Dylan's best since Blood on the Tracks (1975) and arguably one of Bobby's best three or four records. Love and Theft improves with each listen. Brilliant.… Full Review »
  2. All_ButTrU4
    Oct 14, 2022
    8
    The sonic sequel to 1997's "Time out of mind " and his whopping 31st record, Bob Dylan returns older and his voice rougher. Part of his laterThe sonic sequel to 1997's "Time out of mind " and his whopping 31st record, Bob Dylan returns older and his voice rougher. Part of his later years renaissance "Love and theft " feels like a good step in the right direction. Taking a step back ,love and theft feels like a thematic stroll down memory lane with his best moments rehashed through a just as urgent light. From the opening "tweedle de &tweedle dum " to the comparably sparse "sugar baby " ,Dylan shows hes still got a lot to say and just as many interesting ways to say it.… Full Review »
  3. JaneMetascore
    Dec 18, 2019
    6
    Dylan never made it and all of his records were bad, were terrible. Highway 61 is a scam. Blonde on Blonde is return to sender. the BasementDylan never made it and all of his records were bad, were terrible. Highway 61 is a scam. Blonde on Blonde is return to sender. the Basement Tapes is a Hoax, Blood on the Trax is a snoozer. Virtually anybody with a guitar and some pipes can do this.… Full Review »
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