Working On A Dream by Bruce Springsteen

The reason Bruce Springsteen’s career has lasted so long is because, evidently, the man can do no wrong. His new album, “Working On A Dream,” shot to number one on the Billboard Top 200 chart in its first week of release, proving that people need and want his idealistic patriotism now, just as much as they did back in ’84.

The album starts off with the slow, seductive story of “Outlaw Pete,” a traveling vagabond, who leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him, across the country. The song draws listeners in so much that they’re highly unlikely to even notice its eight-minute length, when most artists would have lost all the listeners after only four minutes.

Two typically Springsteen-esque tracks follow – the optimistic “My Lucky Day” and the album’s title track. While both tracks have a laid-back pace, they are boring at no stage. While Springsteen often lost listeners in his mumblings about the Ghost of Tom Joad and Nebraska, his lyrics on these songs, and throughout the album, are clear and riveting throughout.

On “Queen of the Supermarket,” Springsteen sings about his eternal love for a simple supermarket clerk. He manages to turn every detail of something as mundane as a trip to the supermarket into pure poetry, from how her hair is tied up, to how she packs the groceries. This is definitely a feat few could accomplish.

“Good Eye” is the most catchy, repeatable track on the album. It has heavy blues influences, with Springsteen’s vocals moving to the background, while the guitar playing takes the foreground. It’s unique to the album, and not something we hear too often from the artist, but definitely a sound he should use more often!

“Tomorrow Never Knows,” which comes next, moves back to the album’s regular style, with a softly rolling acoustic guitar backbeat, while Springsteen whispers clever lyrics to the audience.

Other top tracks include “Life Itself” and “The Last Carnival,” while “Surprise, Surprise” is definitely to be avoided. If you can, buy the CD with the bonus tracks, “The Wrestler” (the theme song to the movie) and “Night With The Jersey Devil,” but either way, just make sure you buy this CD!