Album Review
2 ½ stars
By Anthony Kuzminski
When Bruce Springsteen emerged with Born To Run in 1975, he was put on an altar by the rock press. He embodied all of what rock n’ roll had stood for its inaugural generation and everything they hoped it would be in the future. For the better part of the last few decades, Springsteen has lived up to that hope. His legacy is so immense that any singer-songwriter who has emerged has had to deal with Springsteen’s comparisons including Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and to a lesser extent acts like Bon Jovi and Meat Loaf. I’d even go so far as to say the other four have been put down by Springsteen scholars as second class acts compared to the almighty Bruce. With that being said, I find it ironic that his latest album borrows heavily from each of them (and a disco ball spinning KISS). The worship Springsteen has endured over the last three decades is largely warranted, but at times, it confounds me, especially when once respected magazines grace every one of his albums with five-stars. His latest album, Working on a Dream (his 16th studio record) has divided many. Some are proclaiming it as a masterpiece and others as one of his lesser works. My thoughts? Considering I spent every day of the last month revisiting one of his albums, it gives me a unique and fresh perspective to divulge Dream in all its glory.Springsteen isn’t in as much pain and isn’t necessarily mining his soul on Dream but rather is jubilantly delivering songs full of wide eyed optimism. He’s looking beyond the harshness of life and what the flip side can offer. Springsteen, who turns sixty-years old this coming September, is more at ease with his legacy and won’t second guess his work as much. Are his last five albums on the same level as Born To Run, Darkness, The River, Nebraska or Born in the USA? No. But on the other end we have a great artist releasing records on a more regular basis than even some of the superstar acts were during the 1970’s. One must be careful what they wish for. Artists excavate their souls every time they create. Springsteen has been digging into his soul a lot this decade and that’s good. His newest album, Working On A Dream isn’t a masterpiece and it’s not unlistenable, but it finds middle ground with a collection of tunes that ultimately I’m glad to have.
Working on a Dream has two essential elements missing from his 90’s work; an outside producer and the E Street Band. In lesser hands, this material would be just that, less. But with a confident man behind the boards and his legendary band backing him, the songs elevate themselves above the mundane lyrics. “Outlaw Pete” opens the album in a strapping eight-minute epic that…well, doesn’t need to be eight-minutes for any other reason than to pepper a press release. The string opening has an intricate multi-instrument approach that is layered strikingly. The lyrics leave something to be desired and the melody is 100% KISS. One has to wonder if Springsteen had been cranking “I Was Made For Loving You” when he wrote this one. This one has the potential to be absolutely killer in concert, but on the other hand, its eight-minute running time could also make it one where people run to the bathrooms. “My Lucky Day” hearkens back to the jubilant ride of “Two Hearts” showcasing the best backing vocals of Steve Van Zandt in more than a quarter of a century. Springsteen is at his best with Van Zandt as his foil and the modern era of E Street has been missing; Steve up front in the mixes. I’m happy to hear Springsteen’s happiness shine through and for the first time since reuniting the E Street Band, he’s taken the joy of his personal life and infused it with the muscle of the band delivering a song that is nothing short of classic.
“Tomorrow Never Knows” is a plaintive and simple ballad, where beauty is abound. The archetype has been duplicated by Tom Petty numerous times over the last few decades but the simplicity and added flourishes accentuate its beauty the same way great make-up makes a naturally beautiful woman gorgeous. “Good Eye” is drenched in the delta blues. Sung through a distorted microphone, the songs detoured arrangement makes it one of the albums best. “Surprise, Surprise” is drenched in a retro sound and a spirited chorus that is radio ready. “This Life” steals a few tricks from Brian Wilson with sunny flourishes of organ which elevates the song, but I’m not entirely sure if it works. The “ba-ba-ba’s” that end the song are a pure nostalgia ride, but a good one. “What Love Can Do” features a more strident arrangement but one that never quite takes flight. Deep wallowing backing vocals add an almost stalker like feel to the proceedings where the narrator sounds a bit deranged (There's a pillar in the temple where I carved your name “”). The dual harmonica-guitar solo is splendid, but is not enough to save it from its blandness.
Springsteen’s production throughout the course of his career has often been called into question, especially post 1990. Working on a Dream is his most layered album since Born To Run and I can’t quite decide if this is good or bad thing. There are songs where it is executed perfectly (“My Lucky Day”) and others where it falls flat, most notably on “Queen of the Supermarket”. “Queen” is a Meat Loaf song and I’m sure Mr. Loaf would have nailed it, alas, Springsteen squanders his chance and the beeping of grocery checkers as the song fades out is downright laughable. In reading a recent magazine interview with Springsteen, he appears to have been inspired by going to a new market near his home where he blatantly admitted he had not been in one in a while. This is where ego surpasses art. If that interview wasn’t an indication of a man who has lost touch with average people, then nothing will. The song is dressed up to feature sonic swelling that serenades the soul, but the lyrics are so downright embarrassing, nothing can save the song. “Life Itself” has some interesting backward guitar but the rest is delivered in a mundane beat that never really takes off. It’s not subtle enough to be noticed and not flashy enough to overcome its shortcomings. “Working on a Dream” is Springsteen-lite and something you would expect to find on a bad Bon Jovi b-side (and I am a fan) and it’s the weakest title track of his career. I understand where he is coming from and his unbridled optimism, but I don’t buy it. I’m not feeling the song at this moment in my life and it sounds as if it’s coming from an artist who doesn’t have a pulse on the average person. This is what differentiates Bruce from Bono. Bono would have found a way to make this song work and soar despite of class rank or race. It’s a well intentioned and well meaning song, but he misses the mark here.
Many of the songs on the album feel as if they’re on the runway ready to take off, but get called back to the gate never taking flight, notably “Life Itself”, “What Love Can Do” and “Kingdom of Days”. This doesn’t make them bad songs, but merely unfinished ones. I was recently listening to a number of outtakes from 1977-1984 on bootlegs and while I find some early versions of what would one day be classics endearing, Springsteen was right to keep on working on those songs despite numerous takes and re-writes. Everything on Working on a Dream feels as if these were first drafts and they were recorded as such. As much as producer Brendan O’Brien weaves and spins layers on top of these lyrics, I can’t help but feel that further re-writes may have taken the material to the next level.
However, just as one may want to dismiss this as a throwaway disc, the album’s proper finale appears, “The Last Carnival”. Longtime keyboardist/organ player Danny Federici passed away last year and this is a moving and goose bump inducing tribute. It’s the album’s defining moment. Springsteen poetically and eloquently composed a send-off to his friend of four-decades. If Federici’s spirit had yet to descend to the heavens and was stuck in an in-between state, he rose to the heavens during the final mix of this one. Sung plaintively where the narrator seeks “handsome Billy”, it’s a metaphorical throw back to a character on his second record. Federici’s sound was essential to the second record and Springsteen weaves a tale that is so emotionally gut wrenching, I’m not sure how he stayed composed long enough to get the words off his tongue. When Springsteen (and any artist for that matter) writes from within to help deal with tragedy, greatness occurs. I only wish the rest of the songs were written from that same place.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
"The Last Carnival"
