Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen

A new album by Bruce Springsteen is an event still in parts of the country. Certainly it is in my house. With the release of Wrecking Ball and a world tour pending I look forward to perhaps seeing him on the second leg of his American tour this fall.

The album has opened to mixed reviews. Some of the mainstream publications have called it uneven and dark while Rolling Stone, which might not be as objective as they should gave the recording five stars. Five stars is hard to get. Born in the USA got five stars so does that mean that this Wrecking Ball album is comparable to that album.

It is hard for me as a middle aged man to ever have the same passion for a new recording that was felt 25 years ago but this is a strong, a very strong record.

This album is an angry record. One criticism given and one that has some legitimacy is that the album appears to be a catch all for a few different recordings left over from various time frames. This point has some merit. Wrecking Ball is a strong song that was originally written for the closing of The Meadowlands. It as well as Land of Hope and Dreams, another concert staple for years, have been reworked a bit and placed on this album.

We Take Care of Our Own opens the album and is the first single. The song speaks with a snarl as a response to the anti help politics of the right. Rocky Ground is another song that shows that Springsteen is never shy about new ideas. This song features a rap beat in the middle.

For me the songs that strike the most are the songs that enter the album directly after the title cut. Easy Money and Shackled and Drawn are very good songs but the highlights of the album are the quietly angry Jack of All Trades in which Springsteen mourns what a man must do toe survive. Lastly and strongest is the fierce Death To My Hometown. Seen as a continuation of My Hometown and backed with an Irish beat this song is Springsteen at his best. Speaking of how without a war or a battle sound the corporate interests have killed his hometown. This song must resonate strongly through the Industrial Midwest.

In his early sixties Springsteen shows no signs of slowing down. He still has alot to say. We look forward to listening.