Bruce Springsteen
High Hopes

The days are gone when the Boss was able to record up to 60 tracks to release an album of 10, allowing himself to discard important moments like Because the Night, Fire, The Fever, Murder Incorporated, Pink Cadillac, or Thundercrack just because, in his opinion, they undermined the narrative coherence of the record. And the days are also gone when his fans would eagerly hunt down the rarest bootlegs (some of which became legendary) in search of those precious gems ruthlessly shelved (later partially exhumed officially by the beautiful box set Tracks from 1998). Today's Springsteen, well aware that the ways of enjoying music are very different now than in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, happily (and frequently) shares the best performances of his concerts directly on his Facebook and Twitter pages with his 3.8 million followers, as well as any unreleased tracks recorded along the way.

Therefore, even his latest albums seem similar to those old bootlegs of yesteryear, no longer having any problem including, along with new songs, covers, ideas recorded live, and reworks of tracks already familiar to old fans. Take it easy, baby...

This was partly the case already for Wrecking Ball (which included at least four tracks already performed by the Boss in other contexts and versions) and is even more so for High Hopes, which includes the reworking of a cover by The Havalinas already performed by Springsteen in the '90s (High Hopes, indeed, enhanced by a very effective horn arrangement), other covers of a song by Suicide (Dream Baby Dream) and the Australian punk band The Saints (Just Like Fire Would), the adaptation of the famous The Ghost of Tom Joad in a more electric version (already performed live in recent tours), and the studio version of 41 Shots (American Skin), already included in a live version in Live in NYC 2001. Besides this: seven unreleased pieces played again with today's taste, but actually conceived between 1998 and 2013.

Special guest of the work is Mr. Tom Morello (former Rage Against The Machine) already admitted as a full member of the E Street Band for some dates of the Wrecking Ball Tour in the absence of "Little Steven" Van Zandt, and an important omnipresence on the album, thanks to the sincere devotion and generosity (sometimes admittedly exaggerated) with which he enthusiastically dives into the project. As for the rest: a handful of good songs made (or remade) in Bruce Springsteen's style, between usual masterstrokes (Down in the Hole, Hunter Of Invisible Game), and some now inevitable drops in tone (Frankie Fell in Love, This is Your Sword). As usual, a separate mention is deserved by the lyrics, always and anyway up to the character.

In conclusion: The Boss today happily lives his second youth alongside and for his people, who still gather for him in massive crowds at all corners of the globe, possibly larger than ever. All his recent releases seem explicitly dedicated to his people, living in the serene awareness that no one spends up to 30 euros to listen to an album in 2014. So you might as well throw all the best you have into the web, not worry too much, and see what happens...Fans will appreciate it, detractors will continue to denigrate. Take it easy baby...

What seems to interest the New Jersey man most now is to throw everything out there with enormous enthusiasm and get back to strapping on the guitar "out in the street" as soon as possible! Rock'n'roll, baby...