The veteran rocker released his 20th and most powerful album over the weekend, showing the world that he is still full of passion for music and creativity
Bruce Springsteen
Photography:
AFP
For a long time now the writer of these lines has not come across such a powerful opening song as the one that opens Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Letter to You".
The veteran star's 20th studio album opens with the song "One Minute You're Here" - a beautiful, even dark ballad, reminiscent of the acoustic springsteen of the Nebraska album days.
His voice sounded clear, painful and sober.
"One moment you are here, the next you are no more" he sings there almost in a whisper, mourning friends and colleagues who have left prematurely or simply in their time.
By the age of 71 he had already seen many of them come and go, and one can really understand his need to declare "Baby, I'm so lonely."
When an icon at Springsteen's age starts singing about death and suddenly focuses on nostalgia, one should definitely worry.
Just look at the clues left to us by legends like David Bowie and Leonard Cohen on their farewell albums.
On the other hand, the album "Letter for You" does not really convey the feeling of an album of those who will spend a few days with us.
After a calm and chilling opening, the veteran rocker and the Island Street band, who has accompanied him for years, turn to bring one of their most energetic and anthemic works in years.
Even if the album continues throughout the memory and retrospective narrative (in "Last Man Standing" he sings blurry pictures in an old memory book, tattered jeans and flannel shirts), this is not an obituary.
Springsteen is actually celebrating himself and his friends on the long journey with some of the most "Springsteen" songs you could think of.
The energetic and excellent "Ghosts" could easily have been placed on his album from the eighties and you would not have noticed the difference.
"If I Was the Priest" was actually written in the 70's, but sounds epic, alive and kicking in 2020 as well.
Sometimes the business also falls into clichéd places, for example in "The Power of Prayer" - a section that sounds like a parody, as is the theme song.
But these are individual moments, and even so whoever goes to hear an album of the bar (s) at this stage of his career - does so out of love for the artist and is therefore willing to accept songs about meeting friends that one day will be, whether in his dreams "The House of a Thousand Guitars" (as another track suggests).
In the best tradition, there is also a political message of an election year ("Rainmaker") among all the memories, and it too is presented in a sharp and passionate manner.
At the beginning of the eighth decade of his life Bruce Springsteen may miss, think about once and remember, but not slow down for a moment.
"Letter to You," Bruce Springsteen