From Bob Dylan to Stevie Wonder: the best late-era albums by musical greats

When pop stars are deemed ‘past their peak’, it’s easy to dismiss their work. But do that and you might miss out on hidden treasure. Here our critics celebrate unexpected gems from the likes of Aretha Franklin and The Fall

For a time, it looked as if Dylan might be settling into the gentle downstream of American Songbook and pop standards, releasing three such covers albums in the late 2010s. Then, in 2020, he unleashed this masterpiece. Peculiar, poetic and largely preoccupied with the purpose of art, its 10 tracks seemed not just original songs but strikingly original thoughts. The record’s lead single was Murder Most Foul, which rolled in at 16 minutes and 54 seconds, enlisted Fiona Apple and Blake Mills, and considered the assassination of JFK in the broader setting of US political and cultural history. It was audacious and wonderful.