NJ artists salute Bob Dylan

The songs of rock n' roll's poet laureate are being put to splendid use with "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International."

Set for release on Tuesday, Jan. 24, the four-disc collection in support of the grassroots activist organization contains 76 Dylan songs recorded by over 80 artists, and a special 31-track two-disc version will be available at Starbucks starting that same day. The collection features some of music's biggest and brightest talents, including more than a few New Jersey-connected acts.

The late Johnny Cash, formerly of Asbury Park, kicks off the set with an appropriately-twangy take on Dylan's 1964 classic "One Too Many Mornings," featuring appearances by Dylan himself and up-and-coming bluegrass rockers the Avett Brothers.

Elsewhere, south Jersey native Patti Smith turns in a rootsy and rollicking rendition of 1967's "Drifter's Escape," while punk rock outfit the Gaslight Anthem, which cut its teeth in New Brunswick, comes up aces with a soulful and high-energy reading of 1978's "Changing of the Guard," a song Smith herself has covered in the past.

North Jersey emo crew My Chemical Romance delivers a raucous, Sex Pistols-sounding take on Dylan's 1965 epic "Desolation Row," and guitarist Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band teams up with legendary singer Paul Rodgers for a lovely run through the 1975 obscurity "Abandoned Love."

With a roster of artists ranging from 92-year-old folk icon Pete Seeger, who contributes a heartwarming performance of 1974's "Forever Young," to 19-year-old teen pop starlet Miley Cyrus, who tries her hand at 1975's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go," "Chimes of Freedom" is a towering achievement. For more information on the collection, visit http://music.amnestyusa.org/.

Alex Biese: 732-643-4059; abiese@njpressmedia.com; http://www.twitter.com/ABieseAPP