4/5
E Street Rhythm and Blues.
"It's rainin', but there ain't a cloud in the sky/Must have been a tear from your eye/Everything'll be okay," Springsteen sang on 'Waiting' On A Sunny Day'. A brief respite for the Boss Bruce from 'The Rising' of his comeback album ("WE NEED YOU"), set to lift spirits after the destruction and devastation of 9/11 on New York and the rest of the nation. Let alone the watching world. Telling all their stories in song. The opening lines of 'Sunny Day' were Bruce Springsteen's attempt of writing a lovely line like the old soul songs of Smokey Robinson (check it out on VH1 Storytellers). Now 20 years later, you need wait on a miracle no more. 'Only The Strong Survive' and The Boss is still here, thriving. All for his first covers album since 'The Seeger Sessions' of 2006. We, indeed, shall overcome.
Every night before bed, I read Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt's unimpeachable album analysis of Springsteen's great American songbook, 'The Stories Behind The Songs'. Or I have since the coffee table book was gifted to me by my best friend, George, for my birthday back in July. A steady diet of one song a day, like I used to do with Dylan's lyrics, or an Aesop Fable, or Kobe Bryant quote to start the day (now it's one from the neighbourly Mister Rogers). It's my new Bible verse for vivid reflection and a behind the scenes look, beyond the cutting room floor, for inspiration. Here, Springsteen performs beautiful analysis of his own on the Motown and rhythm and blues classics. Giving them a voice again and his own. Number for number, like a soul train to the land of hope and dreams. Playing its part, half as a love letter to the genre, and a dear one to the Stars and Stripes of his bootcut America. One in need of a replacing as its runaway dream that was born to do so now feels like the U.S.A. anthem, call to arms of peace in the midst of the Vietnam War.
"Talk to me, so you can see, what's going on", Springsteen sings on The Commodores classic 'Nightshift'. Still working on a dream like Martin with this ode to Marvin and Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier. Keeping the beacon burning on arguably the Commodores greatest song...that didn't even feature the great Lionel Richie (who Springsteen helped honour at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week). The cinematic 'Western Stars' of the blue jeans man suiting up in the powerful performance of a video with its own nod to the Commodores, and as my pops playfully puts it, a moment of hand waving at 3 minutes and 11 seconds where it looks like he's trying to get rid of a fart (hey, have you heard the Boss' own Dad jokes recently? Genius!). All joking aside, the Boss of all bosses (sorry, Rick Ross) continues his pledge to find that Roy Orbison songwriter side after devoting a 'Letter To You' during the planet's pandemic of 2020. A 'Human Touch' heading back through a 'Tunnel Of Love'. Hidden behind the brilliant disguise of old soul as this one shows another side of himself with his own takes on these standards as signature American as Sinatra.
The familiar intro to Jimmy Ruffin's 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted' and that of 'I Forgot To Be Your Lover' (featuring the legendary Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame, who like the new Tom Morello, also appears on those good ole 'Soul Days') are as unmistakable as Bruce's croons. The former being covered more times than a cheap couch (Robson and Jerome, anyone?). The latter being stirringly sampled for Ludacris 'Growing Pains' for the ATL rapper. Unmistakable also, are the references to the ravished America he and we so revere. These songs were subtle protests then. They're even more potent in their power now. It's not just lover's hearts that are broken. But piece together numbers on this 21st album trying to get over, and this Colombia record touches you like the bonnet of this album artwork, looking back. From the lead single take of Frank Wilson’s 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' (we all do, Boss, to be Frank), to the latest singles, Ben E. King's 'Don't Play That Song' (except you really should and will) and 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time' by Tyrone Davis.
Wanting to do an album where he "just sang", Springsteen does just that, doing more than justice to the songbook of the 60s and 70s. From Jerry Butler's title-track, to the closing Johnny Bristol and Jackey Beavers devotion 'Someday We'll Be Together'. Made popular by Diana Ross and The Supremes, and now this E Street reshuffle. But it's the deliverance of 'Hey, Western Union Man' for your UPS and The Temptations 'I Wish It Would Rain' (tempting Bruce's best 'I Wish I Were Blind') where Springsteen and spinners like Detroit really soar...and drive like their automotive, catalytic connection. 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' like another Jersey boy, Frankie Valli, sang. But with Springsteen over the four seasons, we still have high hopes like his last rocker.
Thanksgiving will see a four episode live run on his friend Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show conclude in a grateful special for the holidays. Springsteen's songbook is only matched by Bob and Frank. And one day someone will cover his hits like this. Paying respect and reverence like Bruce does for William Bell ('Any Other Way') and the Four Tops ('When She Was My Girl'). But it's Four's '7 Rooms Of Gloom' that really the tops as Springsteen brings the devil's and dust of a darkness found on the edges of town's like Nebraska. A house no longer a home like Luther said, Springsteen singing, "I live with emptiness/Without your tenderness/You took the dream I had for us/Turned my dreams into dust/I watch a phone that never rings/I watch a door that never rings//Bring you back into my life/Turn this darkness into light/I'm all alone in this house/Turn this house to a home." Milk carton identifying the lyrics to go of his own 'Missing' and 'You're Missing', MIA double. With a letter to Motown, the Boss is still in correspondence, though. And as Bruce and Dave talk about all the records they want to hear like Jamie Foxx's 'Slow Jamz' with Twista requesting "she want some Marvin Gaye/Some Luther Vandross/A little Anita/Will definitely set this party off right". Maybe the strong will love to survive another album and day. We can only hope. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Nightshift', 'I Forgot To Be Your Lover (Feat. Sam Moore)', 'What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted'.
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