(2002-07-29 - 6:26 p.m.)
Everything has been eclipsed by the arrival of a new CD through my door this morning. That's right, the new Bruce Springsteen album is out! *Puts Nerdy Hat On*
Is it any good? Well, yes and no. From a first listening there are some absolutely brilliant tracks. The opener "Lonesome Day" is a decent enough up-tempo rocker. "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" has a doo-wop feel to it and has some great harmonies. "Worlds Apart" has a distinctly indian feel to it's chord progressions and percussion and contains some searing guitar work from Nils Lofgren. "Further On (Up The Road)" is a driving bluesy number and "Paradise" is a wonderful, haunting track.
There are a couple of others that fall into the pretty good category. "The Fuse", "Lets Be Friends", "Mary's Place" and "The Rising" all have something to recommend them, even if they aren't outstanding.
Where does that leave us with the other 6 tracks then? Well, unfortunately it leaves us in "Human Touch" territory. For me, short of the title track and "57 Channels And Nuthin' On", Human Touch was a pretty poor affair, and that's coming from a die-hard Boss fan. The remaining tracks such as "Nothing Man" and "Into The Fire" sometimes verge on the bland, sometimes on the soppy or sentimental. Something the Boss is wont to do on occasion.
So on the whole I like it. It has far more to recommend it than not, and it's great to hear the entire E-Street Band back together again. There is no more solid a drummer on this planet than Max Weinberg. Boss fans will not be disappointed, but I doubt it will open Bruce up to a new audience.
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Currently Spinning: "The Rising", Bruce Springsteen & "Dizzy Up The Girl", Goo Goo Dolls.
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