Is it great? Hard to say. The lyrics strike me as too bare, and the music is old-fashioned and nostalgic. But Springsteen hasn’t sounded this energized in years, and the message is both potent and ambiguous enough to make you think. So ambiguous that this could easily be embraced by both sides of the political debate, which might be exactly what Springsteen intended.
Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Springsteen’
Bruce Springsteen—We Take Care of Our Own
Thursday, January 19th, 2012Hot 100 Roundup—6/11/11
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011Scotty McCreery—”I Love You This Big”
#11
Lauren Alaina—”Like My Mother Does”
#20
At first listen it seems as if the latest American Idol survivors have been granted better material than previous winners. But even though these songs are more specific in detail and less generic in overall tone, they’re still terrible, with lyrics that make you gasp in awe at their utter inanity. McCreery and Alaina make the best of it and deliver what they think is expected of them, but McCreery’s voice lacks seasoning—he needs experience: alcohol, sex, even more religion—while Alaina’s attempts to bend her song to her will result in a lot of growling and screaming and only make things worse. They’ll both do better. Whether either of them has the talent or brains to do much better is still an open question.
Glee Cast
“Light Up the World”, #33
“Pretending”, #40
“For Good”, #58
“I Love New York/New York, New York”, #81
“As Long As You’re There”, #93
Lady GaGa
“You and I”, #36
“Marry the Night”, #79
The pleasure I take in Born This Way is largely a matter of sonics and structure. That’s not a putdown. When you create something that for the most part is collage and pastiche, both musically and lyrically, sonics and structure are what make the difference between bland imitation and creating something new, and GaGa gets them right every single time. And then she boosts them. The drums and guitar on “You and I” may owe their inspiration to Queen, but they outstrip and outboom anything that band ever did, and the fact that they’re tied to a song that borrows from highway rock and roll and even country and western puts it in a league of its own. “Marry The Night”, meanwhile, is more Springsteen-inspired disco, with a coda beamed in from a mid-90s rave. I still have my doubts about her lyrics, which are often blander than they need to be, and I don’t think she’s making anything truly new out of her sources, but her merger of hard rock with disco diva anthems (which is what that ridiculous cover photo is all about, in case you were wondering) is wondrous, even if it ultimately doesn’t lead anywhere. Don’t think of it as something new, but as a well-earned celebration of a greatness we may have missed at the time.
Beyonce—”1+1″
#57
I have my doubts about Beyonce’s soul moves, especially her high notes and the dynamics that accompany them, but thematically this is a breakthrough, the first Beyonce song about a relationship I’ve heard in which she isn’t either asserting her iron-willed dominance or making like a supplicant to her godlike man. That see-sawing from one extreme to another was getting tiresome, and this is a welcome relief. I bet it’s a relief to Jay-Z, too.
Lil Wayne—”How To Love”
#69
I don’t think it’s the softness of sound that has caused so many people to write this song off. Sentimentality is as much a part of rap as any other kind of music, and if anyone has earned the right to a little mellow down time it’s Lil Wayne. What probably bothers hardcore rap fans more is the sense of empathy the song is based on. It isn’t really a love song, and it certainly isn’t a sex song. Instead, it’s a real attempt to understand where this woman is coming from and what she’s feeling, something more along the lines of Prince’s “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” (even though the situation appears to be completely different) than your standard lover man rap. In other words, thematically it’s as far from the mainstream of rap as Wayne’s phrasing and twisting trains of thought have always been. Like the pre-prison “I’m Single”, it’s a record by someone who’s trying to sort out the world in all it’s aspects, not just as it relates to his place, position, and pleasure. Musically, Wayne still isn’t sure what to make of these ideas, so he falls too readily into cliche, but if he should ever figure it out, or find a collaborator who has, then watch out: he may well remake rap yet again.
Reeve Carney featuring Bono & The Edge—”Rise Above 1″
#74
Not sure exactly what I expected a Broadway soundtrack written by Bono and The Edge to sound like, but I wasn’t expecting standard-issue U2, that’s for sure. Way to stretch your stylistic limits, guys. As for Reeve Carney, his Bono imitation is so exact I can only assume he thinks of Spiderman as a warm-up for that more lucrative U2 biopic that’s bound to appear sooner or later. Either that or he has a great future in tribute bands.
Mac Miller—”Donald Trump”
#80
The white version of Wiz Khalifa, or Waka Flocka Flame, or maybe even Big Sean. How did we stand the wait?
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter—”You and Tequila”
#92
Strong, steady, and never overdone, this is as good as Chesney is ever going to get. With Grace Potter playing Emmylou Harris, he almost sounds human. There’s still something that doesn’t come across, though, and the stiff perfectionism of this record keeps it from classic territory. Damn close, though.
Rihanna—”Man Down”
#94
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 6/4/11
Lupe Fiasco featuring Trey Songz—”Out Of My Head”
#98
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 5/21/11
Hot 100 Roundup—6/4/11
Monday, June 13th, 2011Lady GaGa—”Hair”
#12
An odd metaphor coming from a woman who is generally seen either in wigs or with hair coiffed and dyed to within an inch of it’s life; does anyone know what GaGa’s real hair even looks like? But despite the cognitive dissonance and the unfortunate echoes of David Crosby, this is a grand piece of Springsteen-influenced disco, the kind of music that sounds great not just on the dancefloor but out on the open road. I’m particularly fond of the bridge, where GaGa’s phrasing makes her sound appropriately callow and naive. It may be the most human moment she’s ever managed.
Young Jeezy featuring Lil Wayne—”Ballin’”
#57
Jeezy’s voice holds your attention, but he works in a style that was half-dead even when he started out five years ago, and has nothing to add to it. Neither does Lil Wayne.
Glee Cast
“Pure Imagination”, #59
“Back To Black”, #82
“My Man”, #94
Nicole Scherzinger featuring 50 Cent—”Right There”
#77
Not terrible, which is a surprise considering how lazy it sounds. The music isn’t bad, but the rhyme scheme consists of repeating the same word at the end of each line, an effect almost as flattening as 50 Cents’ rap. He long ago said he had no real interest in making music anymore, and this proves it. Scherzinger sounds as anonymous as ever, and you can’t help but wonder if this would even have been released if it wasn’t for her X Factor gig.
DJ Khaled featuring Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne—”I’m On One”
#78
A stylistic changeup from Khaled, which would be interesting if he was capable of making good music, but he isn’t, so we’re left with the lineup. Rick Ross is his usual monotonous self, and Lil Wayne indulges in hit-and-miss word games: good and bad puns (“I’m a made nigga, I should dust something”) with the occasional meaningful line. As for Drake, he may be serious in his doubts about the rap game, and even in his self-criticism, but he lies so consistantly about how hard his life is I find it impossible to trust him even (especially) when he sounds sincere. His hypocrisy is fascinating, though, as is his resistance to flow. Being the snobbish cad that he is, he seems to consider it beneath him.
Rihanna—”California King Bed”
#80
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 4/30/11
Jason DeRulo—”Don’t Wanna Go Home”
#92
Yet another lift from “Day-O”, this one even more obvious than Lil Wayne’s. Otherwise, this is as anonymous as most of DeRulo’s previous records. If it weren’t for that borrowed hook, it would have no melody at all.
Ashton Shepard—”Look It Up”
#95
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 4/2/11
Bubbling Under—3/26/11
Saturday, March 26th, 2011Justin Moore—”If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”
#107
Just when I think I’ve found the peak of shameless country sentiment, somebody comes along and ups the ante. This song imagines heaven as being just a daytrip away, someplace you can drive to with the kids so they can meet their grandparents and aunts and uncles, along with Hank Williams and Janis Joplin. Not to mention those three girls from the class of ’99, whose fate is unrevealed and who sound like they might be the subject of a far better song. One written by Tom T. Hall, perhaps; or Miranda Lambert; or even Garth Brooks. Anything would be better than this.
Shinedown—”Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay)”
#113
Reducing their world view to nonsense syllables is probably a good idea for these guys, considering what the rest of their lyrics are like. Not to mention the bombast they surround them with. If their music was as nonsensical as the words, they might even be worth listening to. I said might.
Josh Kelley—”Georgia Clay”
#114
Personally endorsed by Miranda Lambert, and you can hear why. I’m sure there must be other country singers who have been influenced by Bruce Springsteen, but I don’t remember hearing it as clearly as this. None of Springsteen’s darkness or melodrama, of course, just old-fashioned country nostalgia about a boy and his truck, with a particularly good verse about being the only guy with a fake ID. A few too many cliches to make it great, but promising all the same.
Kim Kardashian—”Jam (Turn It Up)”
#117
For anyone who still thinks “Friday” is the stupidest record ever made, I recommend this as a reality check. Bet it cost a lot more to make, too.
Francesca Battistelli—”This Is the Stuff”
#120
It’s hard not to put down contemporary Christian music, which is often either so slick or so heavy-handed, usually both, that’s it’s impossible to enjoy even when it’s well made. This is an exception. I don’t care if I ever hear a ukelele in a pop song ever again, but its lightness fits perfectly with Battistelli’s message: why do I worry about all this inconsequential stuff when I’m so blessed? I don’t believe in being blessed myself, at least not by God, but as long as Battistelli is so friendly and charming about it I’m willing to let her have her say. Especially if she keeps writing lines as great as “I lost my keys/in the great unknown”. She shouldn’t blame God for her lead foot when she’s driving, though. Some mistakes you make for yourself.
Buh-bye
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010Though they have their weaknesses, there’s only one aspect of The Hold Steady’s music that I have ever actively hated: the keyboards. They always sounded more like pretentious flourishes than integral parts of the songs, providing a sub-Springsteenian gloss that not only wasn’t necessary but made the music sound more derivative.
So I’m overjoyed to hear that their keyboardist has quit. Not only that, but he’s helped to confirm my opinion by going out with one final pretentious flourish, citing philosopher Isaiah Berlin and declaring the band too musically limited to meet his exacting standards. I look forward to never hearing from him again.
New this week—2/7/10
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010For the second week in a row, the debuts are dominated by charity singles for Haiti. This week, though, except for Eddie Vedder’s wonderful cover of Bruce Springsteen, I’ve decided to let them pass without comment. I don’t have the heart to badmouth any more records pointed at such a worthy cause (as opposed to last week, when I was feeling cynical). Just for the record, though:
Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Keith Urban—”Lean On Me”, #47
Taylor Swift—”Breathless”, #72
Jennifer Hudson featuring The Roots—”Let It Be”, #98
The rest of the week’s crop, though, is surprisingly strong. Only one dud, and at least two tracks that will probably stand among the best of the year, at least in my estimation.
B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars—”Nothin’ On You”
#89
Maybe I’m just a sucker, but I love this record. There’s nothing new here, and given time I could probably trace the original source of every hook (I wouldn’t need to look far, either), but it’s so beautifully put together I don’t see the point. As an encapsulation of a certain strain of southern hip-hop it’s just about perfect. It’s probably too soft for some people (there’s not single grating or negative moment in it), and it lacks a certain brashness, but that just means it’s as purely pop as you can get. I, for one, can never get enough of that sort of thing.
Eddie Vedder—”My City Of Ruins”
#92
I have my doubts about the gospel choir, but that’s the only weakness I can find in this performance, which not only cuts the Bruce Springsteen original, but just about everything that Eddie Vedder has ever done as well. Because Vedder is something of a softy, his voice lacks the stridency and the stiffness that often mars Springsteen’s own performances, and all the beauty and regret in the song comes though in a way Springsteen didn’t quite manage. Being reminded of what Vedder can do with a great song is enough to make me wonder if the only thing that’s really wrong with Pearl Jam is that they write their own material.
Jaheim—”Ain’t Leaving Without You”
#96
Since few people make records like this piece of early ’80s-style funk anymore, it sounds fresh and appealing. If this actually were the early ’80s, though, it would be just another one, and only slightly above average, at that.
Jason Michael Carroll—”Hurry Home”
#99
What’s worse than a manipulative country weeper? How about a manipulative country weeper that doesn’t succeed at manipulating anybody?
Roscoe Dash featuring Soulja Boy Tell’em—”All the Way Turnt Up”
#100
Whatever else you might think, there’s no denying that this song lives up to it’s title, with it’s crossing lines of melody and rhythm jacked up so high that after about two minutes it become wearing. As a flashing of musical and production skills it’s both impressive and intentionally obnoxious, and up to the point where my ears start to bleed I like it a lot. I do, however, find it impossible to tell Roscoe and Soulja Boy apart—though that might be intentional, I suppose.
New this week—1/24/10
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010Sade—”Soldier of Love”
#58
Sonically this is stunning, especially the drums, which switch seamlessly in sound from a military tattoo to distant artillery to nearby gunfire—it’s enough to make you believe that they spent the entire eight years between albums getting the sound right. The lyrics are banal, though, no matter how gorgeously sung or perfectly set they may be. Their/her attention to musical detail is so complete that they seem to have completely missed the oxymoron in the title, or considered the possibility that they’ve never found real love because they think of it as a battlefield to begin with. That’s the trouble with perfectionism: once it latches onto an idea, it can’t abide contradictions.
Lady Antebellum–”Ready To Love Again”
#72
The ever-more-questionable single-a-week campaign continues, and sure enough, here comes the dreck. This sounds like the closing credits music for some Lifetime Channel original movie. Should you really issue four singles to preview your new LP if it’s only two singles deep?
Jay-Z + Swizz Beats—”On To the Next One”
#78
Jay-Z sounds fine (though a bit defensive—when has anyone actually accused him of being a virgin?), but the real star is Swizz Beats, who seems to have decided to take up where Timbaland left off (or gave up). His productions have always been fun, but this one has just enough added seriousness and menace to take it up another level.
Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright—”Set the Fire To the Third Bar”
#86
As far as I’m concerned, any guy who writes a line like “the laughter penetrates my silence” doesn’t deserve to be reunited with his girlfriend, no matter how many lonely bars he mutely wanders through. He certainly doesn’t deserve Martha Wainwright, who nonetheless almost succeeds in saving the song, if only because her sweet, simple harmonies distract you from the relentless downtrodden wallow of the lead vocal.
Miley Cyrus—”When I Look At You”
#88
Is this what we have to look forward to when Cyrus gives up pop and “matures”? Me, I prefer the Disney stuff, even the cutesy nonsense, to preening power ballads like this. And I’ll bet you whatever you like that the last Hannah Montana soundtrack album will be better than anything Cyrus releases after she leaves Disney.
Keith Urban—”‘Til Summer Comes Around”
#92
The music is so portentous and the images so dismal—wintry silence, deserted carnival rides, etc.—that this could almost be taken for one of Bruce Springsteen’s post-industrial wasteland songs. Except Springsteen’s songs are about the death of community, the decline of the nation’s principals and ideals, spiritual devastation at both a personal and societal level. Urban’s song is about missing a girl he made out with on a Ferris Wheel once. The imagery is so overwhelming compared to the subject that after awhile it becomes the subject, which—and I would hope that it’s needless to point this out—isn’t the way songs are supposed to work.
Zac Brown Band—”Highway 20 Ride”
#98
A standard country divorce weeper, with extra dollops of self-pity. Brown spends most of the song feeling so sorry for himself he barely addresses the son he’s supposedly talking to. Maybe he should stick to Jimmy Buffett rip-offs and leave the real emotions to people who have some.
Pearl Jam—”Just Breathe”
#99
Let’s face it, if it weren’t for the first Doors LP, Ten would probably be the worst “classic” album ever to grace the rock canon. Now, twenty years later, they’re still making the same mistakes: taking sentiment for real emotion, sincerity for real ideas, and vocal and instrumental texture for interesting music. They mean well, and they’ve gotten better, but too often that’s the only good thing that can be said about them. In this case, I wouldn’t even say they’ve gotten better.
Rock and roll—it’s an old man’s game
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009My favorite Grammy category, as far as this year’s nominees go, is Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance:
Beyond Here Lies Nothin’—Bob Dylan
Change In The Weather—John Fogerty
Dreamer—Prince
Working On A Dream—Bruce Springsteen
Fork In The Road—Neil Young
Apparently no one under the age of fifty is allowed to take part in this category—and if it wasn’t for Prince, that number would be sixty. Or is it just that no one under fifty would be caught dead as a rock solo act? As it happens, except for the members of Kings of Leon, all the nominees in the rock categories are over thirty, and most are closer to forty and beyond. And do you really think Kings of Leon would be nominated if they hadn’t sold a couple of million records this year? Not that there aren’t good songs on that list—and the two best are by the two oldest nominees—but, geez, even the Traditional Pop category shows a wider age range.
No news is no news department
Sunday, November 15th, 2009Bruce Springsteen, veteran of 40 years of touring, calls Michigan Ohio. Somehow this is worthy of the top spot at Yahoo News. Another hero bites the dust.
