High Hopes may not be the best or most memorable Bruce Springsteen album, but itās still pretty doggone good.
When the word āunreleasedā gets thrown around alongside ānew albumā, often critics and fans alike find themselves prejudging the album release. Frequently, it seems that albums featuring previously unreleased, unheard material and covers (reinterpretations) tend to be so-so or a perfect target for criticism compared to the artists best work. On High Hopes, Bruce Springsteen, aka āThe Bossā has put himself into the arduous position of releasing unreleased material. Thankfully for The Boss, ever the consummate pro, High Hopes holds up much stronger than many albums of similar class. Springsteen doesnāt supersede his best work, classic or contemporary, but he still delivers a captivating effort nonetheless. Perhaps Springsteenās prime has long been gone, but the dudeās still got it!
āHigh Hopesā
āHigh Hopesā opens the album with ātremendousā hopes, even if the tonal center is firmly planted in a minor key. The Tim Scott McConnell (aka Ledfoot) cover is given an electrifying performance thanks to Springsteenās enthusiastic and assertive pipes, Tom Morelloās slick guitar contributions, and a brilliant horn arrangement. Having gospel-tinged backing vocals doesnāt hurt The Bossā cause either.
āHarryās Placeā proceeds, penned solely by Springsteen. Springsteen definitely has some youthful swagger about him, even at 64: āYou donāt fuck with Harryās money you / Donāt fuck with Harryās girls these are the rules, this is the worldā¦ā (Verse two). Oh no you didnāt Bruce! Tom Morello once more joins Springsteen for the fun, as do the Atlanta Strings. The late, great Clarence Clemons also appears, in all his āsaxophonicā glory.
āAmerican Skin (41 Shots)ā
āAmerican Skin (41 Shots)ā is one of the heaviest moments of High Hopes, finding Springsteen covering himself. The thoughtful, chilling cut first appeared on Springsteenās live album, Live in New York City from 2001. Prior to its appearance on High Hopes in studio form, Springsteen has dedicated the song to Trayvon Martin. This dedication is appropriate, given the tough, disturbing tone of the lyrics:
āIs it a gun, is it a knife, is it a wallet, this is your life It aināt no secret, it aināt no secret, no secret my friend You can get killed just for living in your American skin...ā
Meaningful, superbly produced, and memorable by all means, āAmerican Skin (41 Shots)ā is a personal favorite.
āJust Like Fire Wouldā may have a difficult act to follow, but it brings the heat sensationally itself. Another cover song it may be (courtesy of Australian rock band The Saints from 1987 effort All Fools Day), Springsteen delivers it superbly. If āAmerican Skinā lacked enthusiasm given its dark tone, āJust Like Fire Wouldā is filled with jubilance. Springsteen confidently proclaims, āJust like fire would, I burnā¦ā in his signature gruff tone. Strings add a lovely touch.
āDown In The Holeā
āDown In The Holeā follows, opening mysteriously and hauntingly. The sound contrasts previous numbers up until this point, probably credited in part to Brendan OāBrienās production work. In addition to Clarence Clemonās tenor, violin and organ drive a timbre change. āHeavenās Wallā opens with a bang; with its infectious, ruckus percussive groove and inspired backing vocals singing āRaise your handā, a recurrent key lyric throughout. Tom Morello continues to impress on lead guitar, adding more punch to this upbeat cut. Lyrically, āHeavenās Wallā doesnāt possess Springsteenās best songwriting, but it still is infectious and feel-good.
āFrankie Fell In Loveā has more lyrical depth and contrast, relying less on repetition to drive it home. Love is clearly in the air, but Springsteen also expands the scope beyond Frankieās romantic love. Springsteen references world peace as well. āFrankie Fell In Loveā has that folk-rock quality that The Boss does better than any other. āFrankieā frankly, stands out. āThis Is Your Swordā is inspiring if nothing more: āThis is your sword, this is your shield / this is the power of love revealed / Carry it with you wherever you go / And give all the love that you have in your soul.ā In addition to uplifting lyrics and timely musical punches to match the lyrics, it never hurts to have some accompanying Uilleann Pipes, right?
āHunter Of Invisible Gameā
āHunter Of Invisible Gameā slows the pace down, finding the Boss taking a more tender, thoughtful vocal approach. Maybe Bruce isnāt a true balladeer, but his attention to each word and each nuance here is something to behold. Again, the production and arrangement solidly support the veteran, specifically the acoustic guitars and The Atlanta Strings. āHunter Of Invisible Gameā is nothing short of touching. If Springsteen got away with fooling greener listeners with āoldieā āAmerican Skin (41 Shots)ā, he couldnāt hope to do so on āThe Ghost Of Tom Joadā, the title track from Springsteenās Grammy-winning 1995 effort. āThe Ghost Of Tom Joadā is nothing short of spirited in its 2014 version. Perhaps another Springsteen cover of himself is one too many, but it hurts very little when the quality is first rate.
Of āThe Wallā Springsteen writes in the liner notes: āā¦is something Iād played on stage a few times and remains very close to my heartā¦the song appeared after Patti and I made a visit to the Vietnam Veteranās Memorial in Washington. I was inspired by my memories of Walter Cichon.ā āThe Wallā very much falls in the singer/songwriter category given its poetic lyrics. The album ends with Springsteen covering āDream Baby Dreamā, courtesy of band Suicide (it appeared on their second album). The unique timbre, created by strings, guitar, and synths truly makes this cut special.
Final Thoughts
Overall, High Hopes isnāt Springsteenās best album, nor is it merely average. Vocally, Springsteen can still deliver a rousing performance, and the production throughout High Hopes is quite compelling. Perhaps the fact the album isnāt completely new is a bit of a bummer, but there is plenty of quality material to tide casual and hardcore Springsteen fans alike.
Gems: āHigh Hopes,ā āAmerican Skin (41 Shots),ā āJust Like Fire Would,ā āFrankie Fell In Loveā & āHunter of Invisible Gameā
Bruce Springsteen ⢠High Hopes ⢠Columbia ⢠US Release: January 14, 2014
Photo Credit: Columbia