Bruce Springsteen
Letter to You


4.0
excellent

Review

by FoozerFan USER (8 Reviews)
October 26th, 2020 | 64 replies


Release Date: 2020 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Hey ho rock 'n' roll deliver me from nowhere

Perhaps the thing that amazes me most about Bruce Springsteen (and there’s a lot to be amazed by) is that he always seems to be there exactly when America needs him. There was the darkly barren Nebraska in 1982 as the Reagan administration’s chokehold on the working class set in (it hasn’t ever really gone away), and 2002’s The Rising was the soundtrack America picked itself up to after 9/11. Look, I’ll level with you: I’m 21. Reagan was out of office over a decade before I was born. Hell, I don’t even remember 9/11. But I’m here now, and I don’t need to tell you all the ways that America is suffering in 2020 (but you know I’m going to). Things are bleak: more than 200,000 Americans are dead. People are being killed in the streets by those who are supposed to protect us, and more people still are being beaten and kidnapped for questioning that. We’re staring down a “battle for America’s soul” in November that feels like a loss regardless of the outcome. I haven’t seen my family in 8 months. Enter Letter to You , The Boss’s 20th studio album.

It’s clear from the get-go that loss hangs heavy over Letter . Look at the tracklist, for christsake: alongside opener “One Minute You’re Here” there’s “Last Man Standing”, “Ghosts”, “Song For Orphans”, and “I’ll See You In My Dreams”. Since their 1999 reunion the E Street Band has lost organist Danny Federici and sax legend Clarence Clemons, and, following the 2018 loss of George Theiss, Bruce is now the, well, “Last Man Standing” of The Castiles, the first professional band he ever played in. The aforementioned opener brings back the rich orchestral arrangements of last year’s Western Stars as Springsteen reflects on the “big black train” that has claimed his bandmates and friends, and that we all board eventually. It’s a fitting introduction, but the album really hits its stride on the title track when the E Street Band kicks down the door like they haven’t in 35 years. Bruce pretty much lays down the mission statement of the album, packing all the fear and doubt (and sometimes hope and dreams) that make up American life in 2020 into his Letter to us, and you know what? It’s comforting. I don’t know how he manages to keep his finger on the pulse of the average American’s everyday anxieties, but Springsteen somehow always manages to tell us exactly what we need to hear to know we’re not alone, and that there’s a way to pick ourselves up, even when things are at their worst. It’s even more comforting backed by the classic E Street sound. Okay, sure, it’s a Bruce Springsteen album in the year 2020 - you know what it’s going to sound like. But the best backing band in the world hasn’t sounded this energized since their 70s/80s heyday.

It should come as no surprise that the E Street Band is back to their anthemic roots. The three best songs here, “Janey Needs A Shooter”, “If I Was The Priest”, and “Song For Orphans” were all written by Bruce in 1971 and 1972, and it shows not only in the classic organ and guitar tones, but also in the harmonicas and almost-goofy-but-not-quite rhyming dictionary antics (“Holy Ghost is the host with the most”) and carnival sideshow characters. The narratives feel timeless, however- we’re still let down by authority figures just as often today as Janey was 50 years ago, and young people still feel lost and confused. Make no mistake: Bruce and the gang are by no means relying on good-old-days nostalgia. They still know how to write a hell of a tune, and a prime example is highlight “Ghosts”, an ode to rockin’ out with your best friends that sounds every bit as vital as “Sherry Darling” or “Backstreets”. “Rainmaker” is an Americana-tinged tale of a con-man taking advantage of desperate people (sound familiar?) that compassionately seeks to understand the down-on-his-luck farmer manipulated into hiring the titular demagogue. “House of a Thousand Guitars” manages to simultaneously be another ode to rockin’ and rollin’ as well as a compelling argument for collective action on a local scale: when the throne’s been stolen, the truth can ring out from small-town bars.

Not for the first time in his storied career, Bruce Springsteen has stared down a troubled America and delivered an album that, while perhaps not offering any answers, reflects on the hand we’ve been dealt and eases the pain just a bit. From reconciling with loss on both a personal and collective scale, to feeling powerless in the face of corrupt forces greater than you and your friends could ever hope to match, to trying your damnedest to love thy neighbor when it’s easier than ever to blame them for voting in the bastard that put us in this hot water in the first place, Letter to You assures its listener that, while times are harder now than they’ve been in a long time, maybe in your lifetime, at the very least you’re not struggling alone. If you don’t like Bruce and Co.’s tried-and-true anthemic heartland rock sound, this won’t make a convert of you, and it certainly doesn’t bring anything new or innovative to 2020’s musical landscape, but at the very least it’s a thoughtful, hard-rockin’ album that could very well be The Boss’s best since his immortal run of classics in the 70s and 80s. Will Springsteen’s next Letter find us in a better place? Only time will tell.



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user ratings (113)
3.5
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
FoozerFan
October 26th 2020


20 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

oh my god i mistyped "like" as "life" in the last paragraph i'm gonna scream



anyway album is far better than an hour-long springsteen album in 2020 has any right to be

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
October 26th 2020


6175 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Good review, album has some serious jams

Divaman
October 26th 2020


16120 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Dude, you know you can edit it, right? Just go to your profile page, and right under your photo/icon, there's a list of four things you can click on, the last of which says "Edit My Uploaded Reviews/Albums." Just click on it, and a list will come up that says "Edit Your Reviews". Click on the review you want to edit, and you're in business.

FoozerFan
October 26th 2020


20 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

this changes everything thank you divaman lmao

Divaman
October 26th 2020


16120 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

You're welcome.

ashcrash9
Contributing Reviewer
October 26th 2020


3395 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Middle arc of this record drags a bit imo and probably could've been weeded down to make this a less daunting runtime but it opens and closes really strong. Review is phenomenal, nice work.

xfearbefore
October 26th 2020


2050 Comments


Great, topical review man.

mvdu
October 26th 2020


992 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

That was an amazing review! First thing I noticed is how great the band sounds. Bruce’s voice hasn’t lost a step. And his lyrics explore the trials of aging with an optimism that never feels empty. While the album might not be as iconic as albums like Born In The USA, Magic, and The Rising, it is very strong nonetheless.

Divaman
October 26th 2020


16120 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Haven't heard this one yet, but I was more impressed with his previous album than I have been with anything he's put out in decades.

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
October 26th 2020


10447 Comments


really well written piece.

not delved into any of his post 70/80s stuff, will perhaps have to give this a go

JesperL
Staff Reviewer
October 26th 2020


5664 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

never got around to checking his last one, but this is sounding great so far

and amazing review, pos'd!

Pho3nix
October 26th 2020


1681 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

So much better than his last three records! it does lose some momentum in the last couple of tracks, but overall a positive surprise.

e210013
October 26th 2020


5592 Comments


I'm a huge fan of the beginning of his career. I didn't check this album yet, but you interested me. So, I'll check it one of these days.
Meanwhile, good review. I read it with great interest, especially because I'm not American, but European, and it's alwyas interesting to me to can see the perspective of an American citizen especially in troubled moments like these.
So, pos.

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
October 26th 2020


10447 Comments


by way of c/c, i would just say that your review does an excellent job of contextualising the record within the political/social backdrop that it was likely produced in response to, and you do it in a enjoyably subtle and indirect way ... until the last para (specifically the "bastard" line) which feels jarringly direct in comparison to the preceding paras, and maybe less professional and more divisive/argumentative than the very delicate way you've phrased other passages? idk, take with a pinch of salt, its a hard balance to strike

IsildursBane44
October 26th 2020


764 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Pretty happy with this for what it is, but it sure does pale in comparison to everything in his 70/80's catalogue.

"Ghosts" is one heck of a tune though. Wish this album's pace was a little more balanced. That's my only real big gripe with this at the moment. Solid record for a 71 year old. He's still got that youthful passion.

Rawmeeth38
October 26th 2020


2790 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Great review and great album. I'd love to give this a 4 but when I look at the other albums in his catalog that I have given a 4 this just doesn't match up.

BigHans
October 26th 2020


30959 Comments


Great job. I've written about Springsteen a few times. You nailed his sentiment.

Minushuman24
October 26th 2020


4997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Wonderful review, Springsteen can do no wrong.

wham49
October 26th 2020


6348 Comments


I love Bruce however over the last decade he has gone off the deep end. He has become a weird rendition of himself, uncomfortably nostalgic and sensitive.

IsildursBane44
October 26th 2020


764 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I can see that side wham. I haven't really ever wanted or needed to like anything post 80's from him. But there are some nice genuine feeling moments on here. The title track is a good example.



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