(30.04.2005 - 10:52 p.m.)
Okay, it's time to tackle the new Boss album. Not least because I want to find out what fellow Bruce fanatics (hello Brucegirl) think about it. The pre-release word of mouth about the new record was interesting, as those who had heard advanced copies of the lead single, the title track of the album Devils & Dust, kept referring to Blood Brothers, a song released as part of the Greatest Hits package back in '95. On hearing the new song, it's easy to see why. The rythms and patterns are very similar, and the harmonica line could have been lifted straight out of an alternative take of that earlier song. But there the similarities seem to end. Firstly, Devils & Dust is not a full E Street Band affair. However, nor is it a stripped down, solo acoustic record of the kind that Springsteen is wont to release once a decade or so. Instead, the album falls somewhere between the likes of Nebraska and The Ghost Of Tom Joad, and the better of Bruce's two 1992 albums, Lucky Town. What you get, then, is a mix of downbeat story songs about those who have strayed from their paths, living out there trying existence on the margins of society, juxtaposed with lighter, upbeat rock numbers, about the joys of finding love and thinking about the one person who makes you truly happy. The best of the songs, such as the melancholy Reno, Devils & Dust, Maria's Bed and the epic The Hitter, are as good as anything from that '82 masterpiece Nebraska, or comeback album, The Rising respectively. However, you have to wonder if Bruce has been suffering from writers block of late, as there are a number of tracks on the LP that were passed to other artists to record in years gone by, or that have been pulled out of the Boss' song archive, having been written over 10 years ago. Tracks such as All The Way Home, Long Time Comin' and All I'm Thinkin' About, give you an inkling as to why they've been at the bottom of the pile for all this time. But that's not to write off the album. It's often been noted that Bruce's least interesting work is better than the best of lesser artists. As such, then, I'm largely in agreement with this month's edition of Q magazine. Devil's & Dust proves to be a fine stop-gap for Springsteen, and there's much to commend on it, but coming from someone of the Boss' stature, you might've expected a little more.
Currently Spinning: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, Motion Picture Soundtrack
Link-O-Rama Link Of The Day: