It goes without saying that Bruce Springsteen is easily one of my favorite artists. This past October, I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of seeing him perform live on the Ben Franklin Parkway for an Obama rally. During his acoustic performance, I grew to love the music and the artist more than ever before. So, when his newest album was released, the bar was set high and I was interested to see whether or not the icon could live up to expectations.
Needless to say, "Working on a Dream" is one of the most complete and diverse albums I have ever heard. It all starts off with one of Bruce's longest songs since "Jungleland", "Outlaw Pete." This song is arguably one of the shining stars of this album. It tells the story of an true western outlaw, ("At six months old, he'd done three months in jail,") who faces his mortality and chooses to live his life in a much better way, only to find that our past never truly leaves us ("We cannot undo these things we've done.") It has an incredible medley of different instruments and each one works in perfect harmony to create a truly unforgettable song.
From this point forward, we reach songs like "Working on a Dream" and "Tomorrow Never Knows." Each song has its own unique vibe that only adds to the overall grandeur of the album. "Working on a Dream" is a song that is clearly relevant in our current situation where the country faces an economic crisis. It simply tells us that no matter how far off a dream may be, that is no reason to not actively pursue and work towards it. Then, we move onto "Tomorrow Never Knows," which only reiterates how we never know what tomorrow will bring and to live every day to its fullest potential.
Moving on, we also have such hits as "What Love Can Do" and "This Life," which both carry an easily memorable tune and message. "What Love Can Do" speaks of one of the most simple and basic fundamentals of the human existence - the power of love. "Darling we can't stop this train / When it comes crashing through / But let me show you what love can do" It's simple, but it really does show that when all else is crashing down around us, we can always rely on the love and comfort of those closest to us. "This Life" follows the same sort of concept with a chorus of "This life, this life and then the next / With you I have been blessed / What more can you expect." Again, very simple chorus, but it carries with it the same sort of deep meaning that you can't help but fall in love with.
The album closes out with some incredibly heartfelt songs that definitely solidify my love of this album. "The Last Carnival" is a song acting as a memorial to the organ player of the E Street Band, Danny Federici, who died of cancer last year. It's a truly heart-rendering song that really shows how much Springsteen misses Federici, a unique part of the dynamic E Street Band.
Then, we close out with "The Wrestler," which is an incredibly simple but complex song. It is simple in the sense that the lyrics are as easy to remember as riding a bike but complex in the way that Springsteen conveys his message to the listener. He manages to vividly tell us of the life of a down and out wrestler desperate for another chance at the big time. With lines like "I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor / Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?" and "My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display," this truly is a song in which you quickly feel compassion for the character.
As a whole, how does this album fare after my critique? As previously mentioned, the bar was set very high with this album and Springsteen did not disappoint to any extent. For me, a good album is graded on three criteria: music, lyrics and production. In terms of music, "Working on a Dream" did very well. From the rising swells and falls of "Outlaw Pete" to the simple guitar of "The Wrestler," it is all very well composed.
The lyrics also follow in this high standard, even now, I cannot help but find myself singing lines from these songs over and over again. When you can have a result like that from a song, it's pretty cool. But when you get this effect from an entire album, then it's impressive. Finally, the production translates to how well the album was put together. Basically, this just boils down to whether or not the songs are arranged in such a way that one song flows to the next with ease.
In the end, Springsteen does not disappoint whatsoever, I love this album and will recommend it to anyone. I give it a 10/10.
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