Polished sound, tired Springsteen

by boonkiat on Feb.12, 2009, under Music review

A polished, modern production value can’t paper over a lack of spark and drive in Bruce Springsteen’s latest album Working on a Dream.

And anyway, since when does the Boss need slick choruses, big horns and fuzzy guitars to deliver a punch? On this album, the slick musical peripherals seem to confuse Springsteen. There were some bright sparks, especially with the less adorned tracks, which sound more like the Springsteen we know, but even they (The Wrestler, The Last Carnival) fell way short of the wrenching delivery we’ve heard before.

Fans of Nebraska or Ghost of Tom Joad should stay away. But one suspects even die-hard fans willing to give a new slick-sounding Springsteen a try will be disappointed: on Working on a Dream, the slick production sounds less inspired than tired. And so does Springsteen.

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