Bruce Springsteen Gives The World Western Stars
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By Anthony “Zute” George
For avid fans of Bruce Springsteen, a new album is just about the greatest thing in the world. With, Western Stars, his new thirteen track effort, fans waited for a long time for it to be released. A very long time. When you have such a long wait, you just cannot help to build it up in your mind, and anticipation builds up so high, you wonder if anything can ever live up to the creation your mind creates. There is danger there because when you finally listen to it, you put it up against the imaginary, titanic manifestation that has been built up in your imagination over the years. As these songs took years to be available to the public.
Did Western Stars live up to what you manifested in your cranium? Was it worth the wait? Of course, it was, it is new Springsteen music! This article will be more of a commentary than a critique. So here it goes.
Whenever a new Springsteen album is released, I have a certain set of questions, and/or thoughts. This time around, however, there were even more questions for me. Since these songs were written by Bruce a long time ago, long before he began his epic run on Broadway, and the songs are dense in subject matter, I wondered what it was like for The Boss to go back to these songs at a time where so much has changed in his life. Or has it? Only he can answer that question, I only hope I get to ask him one day.
The other, more conventional questions, I always ask when a new Bruce album is released are, what do I think of the opening track, what songs do I think will be the most fun to hear live and what songs will be the most fun dissecting?
The opening track of a Springsteen album is always special. Gems like Thunder Road, Badlands, Born in the USA, Devils and Dust and Radio Nowhere are amongst my favorites. The opening track for Western Stars is Hitch Hikin’ and it does not disappoint. The song is sort of a surprise and it does great job of setting the tone for the album as a whole. Bruce’s vocals are superb on this track, and it is going to be a great song to hear in concert, as well as dissect. Bruce tackles subject matter that he seems infatuated with, traveling with nothing but road and the unknown in front of him. Along the way he meets everyday people with everyday problems, admiring their motor vehicles in the process. Typical of Bruce, but approached in a much different way than, say, Thunder Road and Racing in the Streets. But just as powerful.
Other songs that I think are going to be a hell of a lot of fun to hear live are The Wayfarer, Tuscon Train, Sleepy Joe’s Cafe and Chasin’ Wild Horses. There is something about these songs where I just know Bruce will have something up his sleeve to give them a different, magical twist with the E Street Band.
Are far as songs that are going to be fun to dissect, there are so many. I will limit it to three, however. Drive Fast (The Stuntman), Stones and Moonlight Motel. These songs have so many layers to them, I probably am still only at the surface. Drive Fast is another example of Bruce’s great story telling. Of course, he addresses probably the most overlooked people in film making, the stuntmen. Those faceless, nameless folks that risk bodily harm for our entertainment. Bruce does a superb job of fleshing out these unappreciated characters who help make movie magic happen.
Stones is very deep, with a chorus that bleeds on the track; ‘Those Were Only the Lies You Told Me’, WOW! I am still getting to know this haunting track. Great lyrics and vocals from Bruce on this one. I would love to hear his thought process on this track.
Then there is Moonlight Motel. A song that starts out so tranquil, as Bruce identifies another element of isolation that only he could bring to life. A motel where you can disappear, as no one ever visits. Did anyone else think of Norman Bates for a hot second when listening? Bruce takes us on a sensory memory journey that is so vivid, you would have to think he experienced this place firsthand at some point in his life. But where? And when? This track got me thinking of my many places of isolation I experienced in my life. In most cases I was not in a good place when seeking such places out. But the spots I chose were mine, the same way this Moonlight Motel belonged to The Boss.
Overall, Western Stars is a gem. I listen to at least two Springsteen albums a day, as well as listening to E Street Radio on Sirius XM for a good chunk of the day. Since Western Stars has come out, I have listened to it from start to finish exclusively and will continue to do so for about another week. That is the best review I can give. As mentioned before, I think this is one of the best albums Bruce has put out from a vocal standpoint, as his vocal range goes places that I didn’t think were possible. Lyrically, Bruce is always strong, but this album is above the fray in the sense of telling a story from start to finish with a common theme, but with great diversity at the same time.
Another great thing about a new Springsteen album is hearing what other fanatics think of it. So far, I have stood away from most social media comments and all written reviews, as I wanted to write this as fresh as possible with little influence from others. Now that my two cents are out there, what are your thoughts? What do you look for in a new Bruce album? I cannot wait to hear. Sadly, nobody in my everyday life listens to Bruce, so I do not get to take part in such discussions. Blasphemy I know!
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