Bruce Springsteen, an American rock icon for the past several decades, is back at it again. After the relatively well-received studio album ‘Magic’ was released in 2007, most Springsteen fans would not have expected another studio album with the E Street Band to be released for several years.
But with the continued aging of several key band members, along with the recent death of long-time E Street stalwart Danny Federici, Springsteen more likely than not felt that the window of opportunity was closing fast. The result is his 24th studio album, ‘Working on a Dream’ ‘- a mere 15 months after the release of ‘Magic’ – was just released date on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Critics will argue that this was a forced release in order to coincide with Springsteen’s upcoming performance at the Super Bowl. These are probably the same people who are looking for an album to recreate the musical masterpieces Springsteen put out in the early stages of his career, namely ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town,’ among others. One looking for that such thing will be disappointed; but do not mistake this as a negative review. ‘Working on a Dream’ contains many significant songs of varying lights ‘- songs that will make you sing, dance, think and maybe even cry. It is this versatility that has made Springsteen and the E Street Band stand the test of time for the last three decades plus.
The title track is somewhat of a tribute to Barack Obama and the fight that America is going to face for years and decades to come. There are songs of personal struggle, of love and of mortality. The vibrant drums of Max Weinberg are omnipresent in ‘My Lucky Day’ and ‘What Love Can Do.’ Springsteen’s voice seems very strong throughout, and the guitar play of Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren is on point and memorable at times. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons makes several appearances to add his finishing touch to ‘This Life’ and ‘My Lucky Day.’
All in all, it is a very solid and reflective album for fans of great music. Time will tell if this is the last we hear from Springsteen and his full legendary band, but one thing is certain ‘- they are still very capable of making high quality music. This is not Springsteen’s best album by any stretch of the imagination, but it may be one of the most significant he has ever put together. Here’s to hoping this is not the band’s last hurrah.
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