Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
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Music Reviews of Working on a Dream
Music Review: Give the Album a Chance
Rating: 5 Stars
Warning... Avoid this album if:
1) You only enjoy older Springsteen Classics (BTR, Darkness, The River, Nebraska, BITUSA) and haven't enjoyed anything he has put out since 1984!
2) You are expecting a full blown Rock album with the E Street Band
If you're not and can appreciate the diverse styles that Bruce has offered on recent albums such as Devils and Dust and the Seeger Sessions, then you will find another excellent album by the Boss which has depth to it that may not be fully evident on first listen. The writing really is top notch. I appreciate the fact that Springsteen continually is moving forward, trying new styles and not writing the same songs that he did when he was the 25-30 year old who penned Born to Run or Badlands. (Classics yes but three decades ago!) I think thats what seperates him from some of the other "classic" rock artists still making music today.
Standout tracks:
Outlaw Pete (lush orchestration, nice storytelling song)
What Love Can Do (Great Rocker that should be good live)
My Lucky Day (Another Good Rocker)
The Last Carnival (Very nice tribute to Danny Federici)
This Life (Lush, takes a few listens to appreciate, Nice Sax Solo to close the song)
Life Itself
I highly recommend this album as I think it represents the excellence of Springsteen once again.
Music Review: Bruce for the Clinically Depressed...I Guess
Rating: 2 Stars
No rock star of importance can always recapture their glory years, or, in Bruce's case, his glory days. I love this man, I truly do. But his last few albums have just depressed the bejezus out of me. Seriously, not only does this album sound like a bootleg as one reviewer correctly stated, but there are no memorable tunes on this disc. Everything is sad. We already know the world is in dire straits, Bruce. Must you give us an entire albums worth of tunes that drive home that point over and over again with no relief in sight? Nobody wants to listen to back to back tunes about how horrible life is. (Not even your die hard fans.) One introspective album full of songs that reflect on the sadder things in life is fine. But his last three albums have made me want to find the nearest bridge and take a leap off it. People don't want to be reminded constantly that the world as we know it is in free fall. And we certainly don't want to listen to your politics all the time. After all, most of us have access to CNN, Fox News, MSNBC...you get the picture. When it's time to be entertained, we want to laugh, we want to smile, we want to rock. We don't want to feel suicidal. I've listened and re-listened to this album five times since buying it. It's just not working for me. Sorry, Bruce. Life is blue enough. Give me some sunshine or please stop churning out this maudlin junk.Music Review: So Bad It's Laughable
Rating: 1 Stars
If you enjoy Bruce Springsteen's music, the insightful lyrics, the uncanny storytelling abilities coupled with one of the greatest rock voices ever and, icing on the cake, if you truly believe that the E Street Band is the best rock'n roll band in all the land, well...
Well, you should ignore Working On A Dream and pretend that horrendous release never happened. None of what makes Bruce Springsteen is to be found on this record and as far the E Streeters, well, we're told they're playing on the album so that must be true ( except for Clarence Clemons who is almost 100% MIA ) .
Still, if you have no taste in music in general and enjoy over-produced, corny, lame songs that even Bon Jovi would be ashamed of, you should give WOAD a listen.
Enjoy such masterpieces as " Queen of the supermarket " ( sorry, no 3rd degree there I'm afraid...) , " Surprise, Surprise " ( this one should leave you speechless ) or the comically naive " Outlaw Pete ".
Sadly, the list of casualties goes on and on and with the exception of the haunting " The Last Carnival ", which must be had by all, WOAD is nothing short of a major stain on Springsteen's outstanding resume.
Blame it on greed. Blame it on the fact that Springsteen knows most of his fans will buy anything with his name on it. Either way, stay away from this corporate stinker !!!
Music Review: Bruce Goes Pop-Slight
Rating: 3 Stars
Bruce Springsteen is one of rock music's best songwriters and in a class of his own as a performer. That is his legend and legacy. It is also why "Working on a Dream" is a disappointment, especially following in the wake of his previous release, "Magic". Here, Springsteen seems to be trying to extend some of his new-found "poppiness" into unbearably slight tunes that leave no lasting impression or memory. Springsteen, however, could not produce an album of completely bad music even if he tried; here there is redemption in 'Outlaw Pete', an interesting attempt at cinematic narrative; the catchiness of 'My Lucky Day'; the heartfelt 'Kingdom of Days'; the wistful sadness of 'The Last Carnival' and excellent bonus track 'The Wrestler'. Springsteen is at his best when he crawls into a character's skin and brings out the emotions, dreams and fears he finds there. As for the rest of the album, it is almost all disposable, filler-type material. One song in particular stands out in its utter mediocrity; 'Queen of the Supermaket'. The lyrics, better suited to minimal instrumentation (if anything), are given an utterly inappropriate arrangement that results in one of the worst recordings Springsteen has ever done. I never thought I would so dislike a Bruce Springsteen song, but there it is. Measured against a magnificent career, this album is ultimately inconsequential.Music Review: Working on a Dream
Rating: 4 Stars
`Working on a Dream' is the latest offering from Bruce (at time of writing) and follows on pretty much where `Magic' left off, but with the benefit of less intrusive production this time round. The album opener `Outlaw Pete' is a great way to kick things off and I love it despite the irritatingly catchy main refrain! The title track, in my opinion, is probably the weakest track on the album and always surprises me that the album was named after it, but that's why I'm not in musical marketing. `Good Eye' is Bruce's homage to `Crossroads' and is one of the most overtly bluesy tracks he has done in a long while, but with a rocky edge to it. One of my favourites on the album is `Kingdom of Day's and this is the one that feels most Springsteen-esque to me, it definitely harks back to previous songs of his. `Queen of the Supermarket' is also a very strong offering and this album finally closes with the bonus track `The Wrestler` from the film of the same name. Overall this album throws up no real surprises and although it is very good, it is not one of his best. It won't be one I'll immediately be coming back to when I fancy that instant hit of Bruce, but it is one to be enjoyed and replayed at various times over the coming months when the mood takes you. Good but not great.
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