So the
Boss (that's right kiddies,
Bruce Springsteen) is everywhere these days. At the inauguration, the
Super Bowl, everywhere. Many people are getting over saturated with Boss, but that is not something I am really capable of. My relationship with
Springsteen goes back a long, long way, all the way to the early eighties actually. My
Boss roots are deep.
The new album,
Working On A Dream, was recently given 5 stars from
Rolling Stone magazine (still high praise from a semi-worthless rag - it's hard to take them seriously when they put schlock like
Brittany Spears on the cover regularly, but that is another post entirely). The reviews have been exceedingly positive, save one small
obstruction.
Well it is very good, but not perfect, or even five stars. It isn't as strong as
Magic, but it does have some high points that reach altitudes rarely reached by contemporary artists. Let's start with...
The Great: epic open
Outlaw Pete is
Dylanesque, despite the obvious
KISS reference. It also strays into cinematic
How The West Was Won,
Morriconi territory, all strings and harmonica, and the "Can you hear me?" refrain is moving and heroic simultaneously. Follow that with
My Lucky Day, which recalls all of the best
Boss uplifting songs like
Badlands and
Glory Days, driven by a cymbal splashing
Max Weinburg and propulsive
Gary Tallent bass line. It's songs like this that encapsulate a particular terrain that belongs to
Springsteen: driving down the highway with the windows down,
My Lucky Day blaring from your car speakers, gives a euphoric feeling that is both distinctly
Springsteenian and
American. I've always said that
Springsteen represents the best of
America, and here that notion is on full display.
Title track
Working On A Dream follows, and as my friend
Pete put it, would feel at home on
The River, which is high praise indeed. Album closer (and bonus track)
The Wrestler is amazing, displaying the acoustic sensitivity that the
Boss also seems to own. It's one of the best tracks of the last several years by any artist.
The Good:
This Life feels like it might have been left off of
Pet Sounds and is firmly rooted in 60's Pop (I think it would make a great b-side to
Girls In Their Summer Clothes from
Magic).
Good Eye sounds like
Robert Johnson, maybe some lost 78 unearthed from the
Mississippi mud. In other words, really good. Closer proper
The Last Carnival is an understated tribute to fallen
E Streeter Danny Federici.
The Mediocre:
Kingdom of Days,
Life Itself,
Surprise Surprise, and
Tomorrow Never Knows are not bad, just kind of OK.
The Ugly: Much maligned comes
Queen of the Supermarket, which for once I agree with the vehement critical mauling. Yeah, it's bad. And the worst part is that there is a good song in there, melodically and musically strong, it fails only on the cheesy lyrical front.
What Love Can Do is also not so hot, but isn't really bad.
There is a euphoric energy to the entire album, an emotion somewhat ensconced in
Lucky Town/Human Touch area
Springsteen in terms of production and atmosphere. Chop a few songs off and you really do have an excellent album. Worth a listen and does include several "classics".
The Verdict:
3 out of 5 (Ed. Note - this post has been updated 8/12/09)
