MUSIC REVIEWS

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S THE RISING

America’s number one “Boss” is back on the music’s main stage with a new CD The Rising released over the summer. This is the first Springsteen studio release in seven years and the first appearance with the E Street Band in 18 years. This CD is designed to convey Springsteen’s feelings and emotions that occurred after the tragic events of September 11th.

The Rising contains 15 cuts that take the listener through a series of emotions and musical genres typical of a Springsteen release. Songs such as “Waitin’ On a Sunny Day,” “Mary’s Place,” “Further Up the Road,” “and the title cut “The Rising” will remind Springsteen fans of the style and sounds that made the Boss a major figure on the music scene in the 1980s. Songs like “Lonesome Day,” “Empty Sky,” and “My City of Ruins” describe the anger, frustration and hope of the American people after the trying events of 9/11. “Into the Fire” is an inspiring anthem to the rescue workers who perished that day trying to save others. “You’re Missing” is a bluesy and somber ballad about the feelings of a person who is missing a loved one after the terrorist attack. “Nothing Man” will remind Springsteen fans of the Elvis inspired “I’m On Fire” found on his 1984 Born in the U.S.A. album.

The release of The Rising was the topic of discussion on many of the TV morning shows during the last week of July and Bruce even made the cover of Time. Springsteen’s music has always reflected American life with its highs and lows, its victories and disappointments, its hopes and dreams. This CD certainly captures the spirit and feelings of America after the terrorist strike of Sept. 11th. For us aging rockers, it is great to have the Boss and the E Street Band back.

For those of you who find most of their Springsteen collection still held captive on vinyl, there is the fairly comprehensive anthology of the Boss’ music, Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits, available at a reasonable price. This CD contains 18 hits including: “Born to Run,” “My Hometown,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Glory Days,” and “The Streets of Philadelphia.”

Another summer release of interest is the new Robert Plant CD, Dreamland. This 10 song CD features Robert Plant on vocals, Justin Adams on guitars, gimbri, and darbuka, John Baggott on keyboards, Clive Deamer on drums and percussion, Charlie Jones on bass, and Porl Thompson on guitar. Five of the songs were written by Planet and his band including “Funny in My Mind,” “Last Time I Saw Her,” and “Red Dress”. The other songs are covers and include Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup of Coffee” and a unique take on William Robert’s “Hey Joe,” made famous by Jimi Hendrix. More like Plant’s 1988 Now and Zen than any Led Zeppelin effort, Dreamland blends traditional rock sounds with instrumentation from Asia and Africa. If you are looking for something different, this CD may be a find.

On May 7th Tom Waits, the ragged, ruff voiced, jazz-blues singer, released two CDs designed to explore the innermost sections of the modern persona. Alice and Blood Money certainly fit into any individual’s definition of a CD noir. Alice contains 15 cuts and has received the most acclaim of the two releases. Songs such as “Poor Edward,” “Table Top Joe,” “I’m Still Here,” and the title cut, “Alice,” are very reflective of Wait’s attempts to explore the inner soul of society. Blood Money contains 13 cuts and is pretty much along the same theme as Alice. Engaging cuts on Blood Money include “Misery Is the River of the World,” “Coney Island Baby,” “Starving in the Belly of a Whale,” and “God’s Away on Business.”

While Tom Waits continues his unique and comprehensive exploration of the human mind and behavior in Alice and Blood Money, I still prefer two albums from the 70s, Small Change and the live album, Nighthawks at the Diner. Small Change (1976) is just classic Waits. Cuts such as “The Piano Has Been Drinking,” “Bad Liver and Broken Heart,” and “Pasties and a G-string” make this album a classic statement on humankind. The title cut, “Small Change,” is the story about the murder of a small time hood, “Small Change,” who checked out of this vale of tears by getting “rained on with his own .38.” Nighthawks at the Diner (1975) is a terrific collection of songs noir. The way Waits banters with the audience and songs like “Warm Beer and Cold Women,” “Emotional Weather Report,” “Nobody,” and Wait’s cover of Red Sovine’s “Big Joe and Phantom 309” make this live CD one of the most entertaining live albums ever recorded.

Waits may be one of the most prolific songwriters of the era. Rod Stewart recorded the Waits’ song “Downtown Train” on the Storyteller Anthology where it became a hit. Waits’ use of metaphor, alliteration and assonance, along with his deep exploration of the individual psyche, make his music unique and viable. You may want to give Alice and Blood Money a listen.