Working On A Dream: The NMTM Review

Trust me, this picture needs to be big.

Okay, so this is a pretty "mainstream" thing of me to do, but I believe New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen, The Boss, deserves an album review for his latest release, titled "Working On A Dream". In a nutshell, this record is incredible. It's another one of those "return to form" records from legendary artists that are apparently all the rage right now. There really is not a dull moment on this one; each song is unique and it's really a great mix of hard and soft, fast and slow, moving and suspenseful tunes. And if your lazy like me, you can pretty much stop reading right now, but I leave you this one last thing: Go buy this record. Don't just download it. You need this. You want this in your collection. You desire the sleeve. This is rock 'n' roll and an all over great record. Here's the track list, and with it, I'll comment a sentence or two about each.

1. Outlaw Pete
(The record opens with 8-minute long Western tale of a true bad ass. A shady character keeps his emotions pretty tight. Just a son of a gun who lives a life of crime just because it's a lifestyle.)

2. My Lucky Day
(Bruce has seen a lot of tough stuff in his life, but every now and again, he gets lucky. I saw he's pretty happy now-a-days. This song is triumph of the fortunate day.)

3. Working On A Dream
(The title track. I'm not sure what else The Boss has to prove anymore in his career, maybe to just defy age and limitations. Regardless, very nice bit right here. Performed at the Super Bowl, too.)

4. Queen Of The Supermarket
(Okay, this is a GOOD song. Maybe not lyrically, but it's sharp. Haters beware. This blogger is a fan of the whacked-out ladies that make it into memorable songs.)

5. What Love Can Do
(So good it was played on our show. A Valentine's Day treat for sure. Reminiscent of Magic's "I'll Work For Your Love". Bruce is still proving to people the power of love.)

6. This Life
(A heavy track. One of Bruce's strongest vocals on the entire record. What else can you expect?)

7. Good Eye
(How about just a great Southern track. Bruce's vocals are skewed on this harmonic tune. An ode to BB King and the blues of the deep south.)

8. Tom morrow Never Knows
(The unexpected is something that comes up in a lot of good songwriting; surprisingly, it's easy to talk about being unaware of life's journeys to come. I can see Bruce singing this song to a young person, possibly a kid, who's not sure of where he's being taken to on his life. But hey, kid, no one really knows.)

9. Life Itself
(Pretty rough and tumble. Great guitar work on this piece. If Bruce is "working on a dream", then perhaps "Life Itself" is the moment at which you wake up and realize that your faced with reality once again. A bitter defeat.)

10. Kingdom Of Days
(A great love song. A tribute to timeless romance when your with someone who seems to diminish seconds, minutes, hours, and days. Pivotal lyrics: I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I do, you whispered, "then prove it, then prove it, then prove it, to me baby blue".)

11. Surprise, Surprise
(My personal favorite. Happiest tune on the album. Surprise's can be a lot of fun; and this is a birthday song to anyone to anyone who thought The Boss was too old to make you smile.)

12. The Last Carnival
(Carnies deserve a love story. Bruce knows how hard a true working man can live his life. This song ends the album with a sundown of chorus lines and peace.)

13. Bonus Track: The Wrestler
(Written for Mickey Rourke and the great, great movie that bares the title of the song, this might be the saddest song I have ever heard, let alone Bruce's. If nothing else on this record, you need to listen to "The Wrestler".)

Well that's all I got on this one. Album reviews aren't terrible tough to do, but they are time consuming. Luckily, I have nothing else to do on Sundays, other than to fold laundry and listen to life, one record at a time.

Come on, open your eyes, and let your love shine down!