Bruce Springsteen
High Hopes

2014, the latest, at the moment, discographic release if we exclude the American Beauty EP, released shortly after in digital and vinyl format only. I want to analyze the original tracks in High Hopes, leaving aside the covers (High hopes, Just like fire would, Dream baby dream) and the remakes of old songs (Amerikan skin, The ghost of Tom Joad, The Wall), all of outstanding craftsmanship nonetheless.

Harry's place, a title that recalls Mary's place from the album The Rising (2002), is musically completely different from this; the approach to the piece is very "harsh," even in the blistering vocals with blues cadences, matched by a claustrophobic music with a bass always dominating the melodic line and sax insertions (Clemons), with a bluesy flavor, and guitar, acidic, distorted, masterfully played by Tom Morello: this is a blues piece, modern and innovative in some ways. The writing of the piece dates back to The Rising, but it was completed during the recording of Magic (2007).

Down in the Hole is another musical experiment: it's a modern country piece; the violin and banjo recall the piece's classic roots, which is nevertheless modernized by the soundscape built by synthesizers; I also note the Hammond insertions entrusted to the magical hands of the great Federici. This track also dates back to the sessions of The Rising, being in some ways a "twin" of Empty Sky, a track of superior craftsmanship nonetheless.

Heaven's wall is a gospel, again, as in the two pieces commented above, reinforced and enriched by Springsteen's classic rock force entrusted to Morello's masterful guitar. These three musical examples alone are enough to understand Bruce's musical exceptionalism as a rock "author": classic, blues, country, gospel mixing with electric guitars, sometimes distorted, becoming rock, modernizing; exactly what no young rocker today can do anymore.

Frankie fell in Love is the E Street Band, refreshed, a piece that would not have looked out of place in The River (1980), in some ways I compare it to the more "joyful" moments of that masterpiece, like the famous Sherry darling.

This is your sword, is another rock-gospel infused with folk with a strong Celtic flavor as evidenced by the presence of Irish musician Cillian Vallely on the uilleann pipes, a bagpipe; the piece picks up the experience of the Seeger Sessions (2006), transposed into rock, excellently achieved by Springsteen and Aniello on the beautiful Wrecking Ball (2012).

Hunter of invisible game, is the jewel of the album, personally I consider it one of the most beautiful pieces in Springsteen's vast production: a breathtaking ballad in ternary rhythm, made epic by the strings of the Atlanta Strings that are the characteristic element of this masterpiece; also excellent is the very delicate guitar insertion by Morello, far from his acidic and rough style in this case. This piece, very difficult to render live due to the characteristic element of the strings, has been performed live a few times, with a more folk rendition, equally beautiful, although inferior to the official version.

I close by remembering that these tracks are "leftovers" from previous albums. I don't know how many other artists manage to have scraps of this level in their drawer.