As the 1970s ended and the 1980s began, Bob Dylan responded to the changing of the decades with a three album trilogy - Slow Train Coming (1979), Saved (1980) and Shot of Love (1981) - of spirit-filled songs of praise, worship and devotion. These songs were as deeply personal and packed with poetics as any Dylan had ever written, but the force of conviction and power of faith evident in these performances baffled segments of Dylan's fanbase (just as Dylan's "going electric" had alienated folk purists in 1965).

Saved, the middle release in the trilogy, proved that Dylan was indeed serious about his newfound faith and it finds the music legend doubling down on the themes and sounds of its predecessor with traditional gospel arrangements and fire-and-brimstone lyrics. Once again recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio with producers Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett and expert backing by Spooner Oldham (keys) and Jim Keltner (drums), songs like the rollicking title track and "Covenant Woman" are delivered with a conviction that might be even more powerful in hindsight.