Review Summary: The boss is back! And better than ever. Bruce comes out with one of his best albums in many years.
The boss is back! Not that there was any time when he was gone, but hey, he's back.
This time he has a rather different approach, with The Rising being a response to the 9/11 attacks, Devils & Dust about war, and Magic just being good old rock, Working on a Dream is filled with love stories, pleasant tales, and even an epic about a cowboy/outlaw named Pete. Bruce's worries seem to have vanished as we enter a new generation - and it shows in his music.
Brendan O' Brien did a fairly good job producing, and Bruce's band sounds amazing and intact. Bruce's voice is loud and clear, and the band seems like they haven't had so much fun in, well, ever. The way that the songs are played, purposely light and relaxed, adds to the relaxed themes of the songs, which makes Dream a very comfortable, pleasant listen. Truth is, Working on a Dream probably ranks among his best albums ever, and it looks like the 00's could be a new creative decade for the E Street Band - and hopefully he'll be like that in the future too.
Now, about the actual songs.
"Outlaw Pete" is one of Bruce's best songs ever made. With it's occasionally funny lyrics ('He robbed a bank in his diaper and his little bare baby feet'), and also clever and painfully true lyrics ('Pete, we can not undo these things we've done'), it just shines bright. It also has amazing solos and bridges, starting like a born to run-ish song with it's tempo, then slowing down to a Nebraska-like speed. It also has a great instrumental set up, with Drums echoing, and his voice being intentionally raspy. Like Rolling Stone said, it also has a solo worthy of Jungleland. Amazing song, and if you ever make a mixed tape or playlist of Bruce's best, you might just put this one on it.
5/5
"My Lucky Day" is an extremely relaxed fun song, kind of like something you find off of one of his earlier albums, like Born In The USA. The song is bound to be a hit, and with it's light yet effective lyrics ('Honey, you're my lucky day' as the chorus line), it is a pleasant song, and it is something you might play on a happy day, when you're carefree.
4/5
"Working on a Dream" is a pretty good song. That's the bottom line. It isn't extremely special, but it is pleasant and succeeds on it's own terms. Very light lyrics however, ('Out here the days are long, the nights are lonely / I think of you and / I'm workin' on a dream). But it is nice, and it has a very rich intro (all the instruments except for drums kick in at once), and it's richness saves it from mediocrity.
3.3/5
"Queen of the Supermarket" is a gem. A pure gem on this album. It's about a guy who is madly in love with a girl at the supermarket, and it makes him extremely happy. lyrics are fine ('Take my place at the checkout line / for one moment her eyes meet mine / I'm lifted up, lifted up, I'm lifted up, lifted up!') and it works like magic. Also it's not just him singing in the chorus, and that brings out the richness in the song as well. All in all, it is a very good song, with it's beautiful instruments, fine lyrics, and amazing musicianship.
4.5/5
"What Love Can Do" is one of the stronger songs on the album. The lyrics are good for the most part, and when the boss adds good lyrics, it really improves the song. t (Now the remedies you've taken are all in vain') for example, and there's a great solo too. It is catchy, and might get stuck in your head upon a few listens.
4.1/5
"This Life" is just like My Lucky Day. Relaxed, carefree, and an amazing song all around. It features the band playing very richly, and Bruce Springsteen's vocals make it sound very cheerful and bright. Lyrics aren't bad, and in the end you think, "That was a very nice song", and you'll probably have a smile on your face. It just seems like such a HUGE sigh of relief after what you hear in 2007's albums Magic, and that's what makes it special - the fun he had recording it.
4/5
"Good Eye" is a major change from what you've just heard. Unlike the other rock and pop songs, Good Eye is full - fledged blues, and though the production is rather poor, the song manages to work, with lyrics like 'I had my good eye to the river / and my bad eye to the sun'. Good Eye, may not be what you would call a 'gem', but it is a good song, and if you're ever in a bluesy feeling, it's really good.
3.5/5
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is a great song that tells of nothing really, except the fact that you should just relax, and accept what's happened as it is. ('Where the cold wind blows / tomorrow never knows') is one of the lines, and really, this track isn't a gem, but it works, and the band is playing very, VERY, loose, which gives it a nice kind of feeling. It creates a vivid picture in your mind somehow, for me it's a field of wheat or barley, and songs that make you picture what you hear obviously have a melodic grip. The guitar chords barely ring, they're confined, and the drumming seems to be very simplistic, and tight, but as weird as it may seem, the track is all the better for it.
4/5
"Life Itself" is a minor song, not in quality, but musically, as Bruce is singing in a low voice, and it's almost a shock after the songs before this. The song does somehow manage to work, though it sometimes drags, could be a little shorter, but overall not a complete failure. Just doesn't quite achieve greatness.
3/5
"Kingdom of Days" is very pleasant. A love song dedicated completely to Patti, about the passing of time, and how you should just enjoy life while it lasts, and though this song is simple, it's Excellent. The band seems focused, and dedicated. Also, Patti's voice usually doesn't work with Bruce's, but on this track, everything works, and there is a moment in this song - I don't know when - but the band just explodes, and it sounds fantastic. In this song, when they nail it, they REALLY nail it.
4.1/5
"Surprise, Surprise" is not memorable. Sure, it may be "Good" but it isn't "GOOD". It has an okay performance, it just doesn't stick in your head or anything. ('Surprise, Surprise, come open your eyes, and let your love shine in') is an example of a line in this song. Very simple, nothing really special about the way the band is playing, which is normal, and it just doesn't stand out. but it isn't BAD, you wouldn't necessarily skip it when listening to Working on a Dream, but you wouldn't pick it out individually if choosing your favs from this album.
3/5
Now, the album gets really good, ditches it's richness for other forms of beauty, and it turns acoustic and fantastic.
"The Last Carnival" - quite clearly a dedication to the long time friend and musician in the E Street Band, Danny Federici. The song is so beautiful, with the the string plucking kicking in after the weird yet amazing intro, and eventually Bruce's solemn voice - sounding better than ever. 'We wont be dancin' together on the high wire / facing the lines with you at my side / oh no'. And it just works, beautifully, and masterfully, in a way only Bruce could make it work - and when Bruce makes it work, the proper word is "Magic".
5/5
"The Wrestler" is one of Bruce's best songs. Ever. Ranks among anything he did in the 80's, and it's just breathtaking. He wrote the song for the movie of the same name, but really, the lyrics are brilliant ('have you ever seen a one trick pony / in the field so happy and free? / if you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me.') Brilliant right? the sound is amazing, the band is intact, Bruce is really into it, and this song WORKS. It works hard, and it gets the job done.
5/5
Overall: 4.0. Technically, if you added all the scores and divided by 13, you'd get 3 and a half, but really the worst songs are forgotten in the end, and the album leaves you with a huge sense of satisfaction, and it's beautiful. I have high hopes for Bruce in the future - and that darkness on the edge of town seems to have gone bright - and it shows in his music.
P.S. This is my first review, please give me feedback.
