Bruce Springsteen: Letter to You - Album Review

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Posted 2020-11-02 by Steven G ⇒ follow

Regular readers will know that I am something of a Bruce Springsteen fan. He is one of five artists who I own all the works of that I have been able to get my hands on in Australia. So, of course, when I heard he was going to release a new album, I pre-ordered it and waited. Yes, real critics got their copies a week ago, but I am not a real critic, so I got mine last Friday and spent the weekend listening to it.

So, here is his twentieth studio album, and the first with the E Street Band in six years:
Letter To You by Bruce Springsteen (2020)

Apparently, they recorded this the way they used to back in the "old days". Springsteen recorded sparse musical sketches of these songs on his phone (okay, that bit is new), brought them to the studio, and the band recorded them and fleshed them out as a unit. Recorded in less than a week, the result is yet another incredible album from an established artist released in this terrible year that is 2020. No matter how bad the rest of the world, the music from these rock stalwarts has, in general, been amazing.

The over-riding theme of the album is nostalgia. Three of the tracks are apparently old ones re-recorded from old demos, but that does not diminish the power of this collection. The band sounds as tight as it ever did and the music is wonderful. I think it is a shame the world is in such tight lockdown because this is the sort of album that needs a huge crowd to appreciate it live.

The album. 12 tracks, about an hour long. Let's give it a listen.

'One Minute You're Here' We start off slow, Bruce and an acoustic guitar, with a slow build-up of gentle instrumentation behind him. A very gentle and mellow way to begin, and I'm not sure it was the best choice for opener, good though the track is.

'Letter To You' The tempo picks up immediately, and this song hits with a flurry of drums and guitars. Sparse instrumentation comes with the opening lyrics, and then it hits like a wave. But it is the lyrics here that really stand out. A song about a man being honest and open in a letter to some-one. Put forward well without being mawkish.

'Burnin' Train' A love song that runs along with the same chugging as, well, a train. It is a song of some-one relishing being with their partner, smelling them, feeling them, being with them. There is a depth to the lyrics that takes it beyond the mundane. And it has a decent little guitar solo as well.

'Janey Needs A Shooter' Apparently this is one of the older songs. The tempo slows down and, well, unfortunately, this song didn't do much for me. The lyrics didn't resonate and it felt monotone.

'Last Man Standing' This is the song that apparently started this album. Written in the aftermath of the death of a friend which left Springsteen as the only member of his very first band left alive, it is a tale of nostalgia and sadness. And yet, there is no regret there. Is this just a re-telling of 'Glory Days' ? No, I don't think so. This is a little more personal than that – this is Springsteen remembering his own younger years and looking back fondly at what has past and will never come back. Really strong song, one of the best on the album.

'The Power If Prayer' A mid-tempo rocker with an interesting lyrical content that I personally could not relate to, but still engaged me. And the music is really strong again. A decent track.

'House Of A Thousand Guitars' A song about going to a party, or parties, when younger, looking back at it with the eyes of nostalgia again. Maybe verging on clichéd at times lyrically, this is still a good little song that I, for some reason, found actually a little depressing.

'Rainmaker' Apparently, this is Springsteen's one concession to current politics in this album, a metaphor of a man shooting into low clouds representing Trump. I think I prefer it this way, not being overt, and coupled with a great musical accompaniment.

'If I Was The Priest' A sprawling Springsteen epic. There had to be one here, and thank goodness it's a good one, and not a slow dirge. I am not one hundred per cent sure what the story was trying to convey, but I still enjoyed this track. It just carried me along for a ride through tempo changes and rousing choruses.

'Ghosts' Another song where Springsteen looks back on his past and the people in it as they come back into his life, even if only passing. There is a sense of joy in this track, as if these old friends – even if they are actually physically not there – can bring some life back to a cold world. Yes, I reckon it really is that deep.

'Song For Orphans' My first impression of this song was that it had the musical sound of a Byrds cover of a Dylan track (maybe 'My Back Pages'). And I think, like that Dylan track, this is a man looking back on his youth and realising that things have actually changed in different ways to what he might have imagined. I really liked this one.

'I'll See You In My Dreams' And we close with my favourite track on this album. A song of hope and looking forward: "For death is not the end/ And I'll see you in my dreams…" The music just soars and the lyrics are so wonderful. This is a song of celebration and ends the album on a suitably uplifting note. Just fantastic.

Much like Dylan's album from earlier this year , this is not the work of a man nearing the end of a career spinning his wheels. This is a work by someone who consistently puts out fine work. And, like Dylan, when future generations come to look at the great poets of our age, Springsteen will be there. There is a reason why sone-writers like Dylan and Springsteen are more popular than famous poets – they speak to all people, not just the elite few. It's why I enjoy the works of Sakshi Narula as well. Poetry has become elitist, deliberately so. Springsteen speaks for people.

This album is truly great. Thoroughly recommended.