When times are tough, Bruce Springsteen seems to be at his best.
On his 17th studio album, Springsteen has turned his back on the more personal offerings of the last decade and focuses his attention to the Big Picture themes currently dominating our national debate. The subjects of marriage, friendship, and fidelity have been replaced by meditations on war, the economy, and grass-roots revolution.
For anyone who has any doubt, most of the material on "Wrecking Ball" does seem inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement. If not inspired by, the songs certainly do address some of the same concerns of the men and women who took to the streets in towns across America in 2011-2012.
The album actually feels very similar to "Nebraska" in theme and "The Seeger Sessions" in execution. It has a rollicking "open-letter" feel to it that sees Springsteen blend folk guitar and gospel choirs with Celtic influences and hip-hop drum loops. The result is an album that surprises and pleases the ear.
Produced by Ron Aniello "Wrecking Ball" is a clarion call. Despite its billing, the album is big, loud, and fierce in tone. Although the E Street Band is not necessarily credited, they do make fine contributions when called upon.
Opening with "We Take Care of Our Own", Springsteen sets a surprisingly apolitical tone that evenly points a finger at the leaders that have failed the American people and abandoned them in their hour of greatest need. Admittedly, the song does not necessarily stand well on its own. However, it is a more striking moment when heard in the context and framework of the other songs on the album.
The album's title song is, at this point, well-known to fans of the band as the song Springsteen penned for the condemned Giants Stadium on the eve of its demolition. He also performed "Wrecking Ball" in Philadelphia weeks before The Philadelphia Spectrum met a similar fate. At first blush, the song remains a rousing anthem for the ill-fated sports arenas. Further listening reveals that, once again, in the context of the album the song takes on new life as a battle-cry for the walking wounded of a double-recession that has seen many people have to pick themselves up after being blindsided personally, professionally, and economically.
In a moment that would make Woody Guthrie proud, "Shackled and Drawn" is a depression era barn-burner that seems to borrow heavily from the sonic-palette of "The Seeger Sessions." In similar fashion, "Death To My Hometown" seems to rip the nostalgia out of the already battered-heart of "My Hometown." It's a sentiment served scalding-hot with a ferocious Irish-wake rhythm and a group of musicians that sound ready for a fight.
Tom Morello shows up to lend his guitar to two of the tracks on "Wrecking Ball." Most notably, his work on the somber "Jack Of All Trades" gives 'voice to the voiceless' in some of the most beautiful, understated work of his career. The song is a slow-boiling stunner that articulates the desperation of a working-class man who struggles to find odd-jobs while he is unemployed, taking "...what God will provide."
The most emotional contribution to the album is saved for last, as Clarence Clemons provides two beautiful solo turns on the stunning "Land of Hopes and Dreams." As Springsteen intones over a gospel choir "This train, carries souls departed. This train, dreams will not be thwarted. This train, faith will be rewarded," Clemons' saxophone provides the exclamation point. It's the emotional high-point of the album and it is a fitting legacy for Clemons and the love story that existed between the two men over the last forty years of their lives. It is a breathtaking moment that allows Clemens to rise and walk with Springsteen one final time.
It is tempting to measure "Wrecking Ball" against the breadth and scope of Springsteen's legendary canon. I found myself doing this in conversation with friends over the course of the last week. "Wrecking Ball" is actually the sound of the 62 year-old icon boldly moving towards reinvention. It speaks well of him that he is not fading gently into the easy trappings of adult-contemporary music. In fact, Springsteen has never sounded more angry than he does throughout "Wrecking Ball."
This is not the sound of a man who is content to mellow with age.
Perhaps, this is what the world needs from Bruce Springsteen in 2012. He has always been very good at writing songs that articulate the hopes and fears of his audience in the face of whatever adversity they face. From growing up, hitting the road, the struggles of adulthood and divorce, and the dark cloud of national tragedy, Bruce Springsteen has always had something to say that is clear, well-intentioned, and worth listening to at high-volume.
As "Wrecking Ball" ends, Springsteen invokes Curtis Mayfield when he calls on his audience to get on the "train a-comin." It is safe to say that wherever he goes, his fans will follow. This speaks volumes about any artist in today's world. Let's face it...most "leaders" make promises, very few actually deliver.
People get ready.
Bruce Springsteen delivers.
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