release date: Jan. 27, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Brendan O'Brien
label: Columbia / Sony Music - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Outlaw Pete" - 2. "My Lucky Day" - 3. "Working on a Dream" (4 / 5) - 9. "Life Itself" - 10. "Kingdom of Days"
16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen continue much in the style of three most recent albums, and represents a mix of styles. Some tracks just follow the style from Magic but others are like 'the usual' Springsteen repertoire. He tries hard to make it diverse - some times too hard - when he puts in a dirty blues rock track like "Good Eye", which sounds inspired by Tom Waits, and then jumps on to a slide-guitar driven country folk composition "Tomorrow Never Knows" you start wondering if the playlist right 'cause the diversity only seems colliding. Despite being the album's strongest track, the title song also hangs like the one-hit song that sells an album out of bounds.
The album was rather successful reaching number #1 in both the US, the UK and several other countries. I don't find it that great, though. "Working on a Dream" was a major hit, but is the album's only great track, and it just leaves you with more questions than answers ' cause what was it supposed to be other than a mixed bag.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, Spin 3 / 5 stars ]
