Thanks for posting these pics Patrick!!!
I got the new CD yesterday morning and while I had pretty high expectations, I can't get over how great it is. . . It's a stunning piece of work; complex, deep, musically adventurous, diverse, romantic, spiritual. . . it's an album drenched in blood, grounded in brutal reality, blunt cynicism, and great sadness; yet somehow it also manages to soar. . . it reaffirms love, life, faith, and above all, hope. It's flawed to be sure, but over-all it's a triumph, and it's as good as anything Springsteen has ever done.
Although I'm guessing it will be compared to
Born in the USA quite a bit in the weeks to come, it's much closer in depth and diversity of style to
The River. . . . but the more I listen to it, the more it reminds of
Exile on Main St. with good production values. .
The Rising,
Mary's Place,
My City in Ruins,
Further on up the Road,
Waiting on a Sunny Day, and a couple others are definitely top notch "Bruce and the band" songs. . . but
Empty Sky,
The Fuse, and
Worlds Apart are unlike anything I've heard from him and they are absolutely brilliant. . .
But the most stunning song is
Into the Fire. . . obviously based on the events of 9/11, and it is at once powerful and tender, touching and jolting. It starts with a low back beat and an a laid back, Delta-style acoustic guitar, then Bruce comes in low, almost matter-of fact with:
"The sky was falling and streaked with blood/I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust/Up the stairs, into the fire/I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher/Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire. . . "
The affect is haunting, mournful, and almost too sad to bare. . . but as he starts the chorus;
"May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love. ."
. . . there is a shift in mood, and then the E-street band kicks in, and the dirge becomes an anthem of courage, honor, and remembrance that somehow is uplifting and reaffirming rather then morbid or hopeless. . . it is simply an amazing thing to hear; a love song to the people who lost their lives trying save others in the horror of the World Trade Center bombings. . .
Yeah, I'd say he's back. .
