Western Stars

An excellent CD from the Boss, some really great tracks.

What is there to say it’s The Boss

On Tucson Train, the third track on his new album, Western Stars, Bruce Springsteen sings of getting "tired of the pills and the rain" and of heading "for the sunshine" where "a little peace would make everything right." Never one to rest on his laurels, Springsteen has once more left the eastern seaboard he knows so well and which has seemingly dominated his every waking hour these last few years; on his records, in his memoirs and, no less, as a result of his long residency on Broadway re-imagining aspects of his life and music on stage.But going out west once more, as he did at the start of his career and in a middle period that brought the 'difficult' records Human Touch and Lucky Town, you might think Bruce attempting to uncover western Americana this late in life might be an unwise move. Oh, ye of little faith. What a gorgeous, evocative, life-affirming record this is. Sentimentalism is derided in our world today; sloppy, mawkish and drippy say those hard-nosed critics who never waited for their "baby coming on the Tucson train." But here Springsteen weaves the past into a mythology that is as much his audience's as it is his own autobiographical balladry. It's a sentimentality in other words that is still filled with the regret and realism that dominates so many of Springsteen's greatest records, and where lives are at best only half-fulfilled. "Drive Fast" is a tale of a body literally and metaphorically crumbling in the face of age and a job they're far too old for. The title track delicately echoes some of that imagery in "Racing in the Street" with Bruce informing us how he takes rides in his El Camino and was once shot by John Wayne. On the drama of "Chasin' Wild Horses" and especially "Sundown", these "ain't the kind of places you want to be on your own" evoking the widescreen emptiness of Nebraska and the desperate plaintive cries of recent classic tracks like "Queen of the Supermarket" and "Last to Die"."Moonlight Motel" closes out the album in typically mournful manner, with our hero dreaming of their lover last night, while the lonely bed reminds him of a past that can't be recaptured, as graceful and gorgeous as the tales that adorn "Downbound Train" or "Valentine's Day" from Tunnel of Love, Springsteen's masterpiece of understated love and loss that Western Stars bears comparison with, and I for one thought I'd never be able to say that again about a Springsteen album. "Stones" and "There goes my Miracle" are possibly the record's standout moments but there's so many to choose from, you'll all have songs here that follow you through to your dying days. Some critics have already described this as a late career classic. It is in fact simply one of the best albums this remarkable recording artist has ever made. Recommended.

Quite a few music critics have been hailing Western Stars as Bruce's best album in 30 years. I feel, however, that they are not over-rating this album but rather under-rating a lot of his more recent work. Personally I think The Rising and Wrecking Ball are still the high points of his later career, but Western Stars fits into his discography and is definitely one of the best albums by someone Bruce's age.The overall sound of the album is not as much of a departure as some reviews would have you think; if you are familiar with Bruce's work, there's nothing here which is going to sound too radical. Think the quiet acoustic vibe of Devils & Dust crossed with the lush orchestration of Working On A Dream. In most cases (bar two tracks which I'll return to), the arrangements are quite restrained and careful, and complement the songs beautifully. The album is a very easy listen, and is perhaps Bruce's most "pop" album since Born In The USA. By far the best thing about the album though is Bruce's voice, which has genuinely never sounded better - it's rich, clear, and full-bodied, and, at times (such as on the song "Stones"), sounds almost identical to what it did over forty years ago.But what about the songs? Firstly, the closing track, "Moonlight Motel", is simply one of the best of Bruce's career, full of subtext and a sense of contemplation of his twilight years, but beyond that, there are numerous other great songs on the album - "The Wayfarer", "Tucson Train", "Hello Sunshine", and the title track spring to mind. There are only two tracks on the album I would consider duds - "Sundown" and "There Goes My Miracle" - where the production overpowers the song and actually distracts from the lyrics instead of complementing them.Overall though, Western Stars is a really strong late-career album. There are plenty of good songs, but I think "Moonlight Motel" is the only track which could be considered a classic. There's also maybe not the same sense of thematic arc over the whole album which you would normally expect to find in a Springsteen record, but the songs have shared concerns so the album still sounds cohesive and unified. Four stars only in relation to Bruce's other albums, but this could easily be a five-star record.

Awesome sound quality. Cannot stop listening to it. Love it.

If you only know Springsteen for his rock anthems like Born to run and Born in the USA, you will be surprised by this album. Gone are the soaring guitar, the sax solos and the rock drum beat. Instead here is a more mellow, slower paced record with a more orchestral backup. If you are a die hard Springsteen fan however, this move should not surprise you, Bruce has often in his career rebelled against type and explored other aspects of American music genres such as folk.So does it work? This is not a record with instant hook lines and will take a little while to listen too. I've had it playing almost continually in the car for 3 days, and I am just starting to understand its nuances. Where the record is best is when Bruce does what he does best and paints a small picture of life in small town america, this time shinning the big city and instead going to the western heartlands. Songs like the Wayfairer, Western Stars, Moonlight Motel and Somewhere North of Nashville create little musical miniatures of stories usually never told. Saying that "Hello Sunshine" with its repetitive rhythm and simple lyrics works incredible well and is one of the album highlights.Another thing to say is that I have never heard Springsteen sing so well. Rather than stretching his voice to bang out rock lyrics we get a smoother voice with a surprising tonal range. Another highlight of the album is the lush orchestration which never overwhelms, but instead complements the song.There are also two outlier songs. The Stuntman to me does not really work, with the lyrics and melody jarring. Sleepy Joes Cafe is far more upbeat and optimistic than other songs and in some ways goes against theme. For long time I felt I had heard it before and it took a while. then i realized it is as if Bruce had covered a Divine Comedy song.The best way I can describe this album is if you imagine music to a 1970 Paul Newman/Ali McGraw movie. It has that sort of feel. This is not a album that will grab you by the lapels and drag you to the dance floor, but is music for a long summer drive, or background music for a lazy Sunday afternoon. This is Bruce exploring new territories, and adds a welcome mature and reflective chapter to his already impressive discography

This is one of my favourite Springsteen albums. In my opinion, there isn't a bad track on it. It's like the Darkness on the Edge of Town album, a real classic. The price I paid was excellent too.

I imagine the conversation must have gone something along the lines of "So Bruce, for your nineteenth album are there gonna be more songs about cars and girls ?" to which the Boss would have replied, "Yeah, are there any other kind?".But when your songs about cars and girls hit the spot why change the winning formula? But that's what he and hasn't gone and done. So, while these are more songs about cars and girls and we meet a another collection of life's losers, without the E Street Band there's something different going on here and we've come along a long way from Asbury Park NJ.But haven't we heard Bruce solo before? Well yes we have; but this isn't just another dirgy pickin' and growlin' "Nebraska" or worse still "Devils and Dust". With their sweeping Hollywood-style orchestral arrangements these songs are bigger than the Boss's previous solo outings and somehow manage to deliver an uplifting quality even when he's singing about loss and heartbreak [No I'm not sure how that works either].But has the apple fallen too far from the tree? No, because these are still Springsteen songs stuffed full with the Springsteen DNA, and the Boss is still doing what he does best, and that's serving-up vignettes that shine a light on the dark underbelly of the American Dream.But are these songs any good? Well while I can't see many of them making it into the arena shows or appearing on request lists, they do work if you are prepared to give them a go because underneath it all they are still Springsteen songs even when some are a bit derivative of 70's country pop; and maybe it's an age thing [mine not the Boss's] but I can see "Western Stars" in my top 5 Springsteen studio album list, its already made its way into my top ten based on a couple of back-to back listenings and rising [no pun intended].But what if you prefer your Boss when he's swinging his telecaster? Rumour has it you won't have to wait long for the twentieth studio album when the E Street Band will be back on board and we'll all be safely back home in New Jersey. But won't that just be more of the same? Yes probably, whereas this is different and this different is good different.

Buen disco al estilo del mejor cantautor americano.

This is a great Bruce Springsteen album it shows how versatile he is. Each track is great to listen to.

If you know, you know. What a great album. Everything I’d hoped it would be.

Lange hat das Warten auf ein neues Springsteen-Album gedauert, langwierig und über drei Aufnahmeperioden verteilt war die Produktion, die wie bei "Wrecking Ball" in den Händen von Ron Aniello lag. "Western Stars" ist eindeutig der Höhepunkt der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Springsteen und Aniello, mir gefällt es sehr, wie das neue Album die Balance zwischen großer Orchester- bzw. Instrumentenbegleitung und dem vielfältigen Gesang und den vielen kleinen liedtextlichen Besonderheiten der neuen Lieder hält. Mit "Western Stars" schließt sich, zumindest fürs Erste, ein wunderbarer Alben-Zyklus, der 1982 mit (Springsteens 6. Studioplatte) "Nebraska" begann und über die späteren Werke "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995) und "Devils + Dust" (2005) nun in "Western Stars" mündete.Über die Musik und ihre zahlreichen Einflüsse (West-Coast-Sound, Scott Walker, Glen Campbell etc.) wurde bereits viel geschrieben, es lohnt sich jedoch festzustellen, dass dies trotz aller Unterschiede zum klassischen Sound der E Street Band ein Liedersammlung ist, die vor allem in den Songtexten und dem nuancierten Gesang die 'klassische' Handschrift Springsteens trägt. Ein Album, das seine Charaktere (B-Schauspieler, Stuntmans, Tramper, Gelegenheitsarbeiter) ohne melancholische Schönfärberei, aber mit viel Lakonie und "street wisdom" auf ihr bisheriges Leben zurückschauen lässt - im Grunde könnten dies die selben rastlosen, geriebenen, zweifelnden, aber stets das Glück suchenden Charaktere sein, denen wir in seinen Liedern bereits vor zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig Jahren - mit dem Album "Born to run" als Aufbruchsignal - begegnet sind... "Western Stars" ist keineswegs ein grunddüsteres, todessehnsüchtiges Werk, eher eine schonungslose Momentaufnahme im 'Herbst' des Lebens, in dem sonnige Augenblicke, ein Besuch in der Bar und morgens mit den Stiefeln an den Füßen aufzuwachen (wie im Titelstück) seltene Augenblicke der Freude darstellen.Die Stücke "Western Stars", "Chasin' wild horses", das fantastische, nahezu surreale "Stones" und das finale "Moonlight Motel" sind für mich die robusten Eckpfeiler des neuen Albums, die anderen Songs gelungene Ergänzungen bzw. Übergänge zu den Kernstücken des Albums, wie etwa die erste Auskopplung "Hello Sunshine" mit seinen präzise formulierten Erkenntnissen ("You fall in love, you end up lonely") oder das nur knapp zwei Minuten lange bittersüß-rauhe "Somewhere North of Nashville". Mit dem wunderschön leichtfüßigen "Tucson Train" findet sich gar eine gehörige Portion Romantik auf dem neuen Album - wenn auch wie bei den anderen Songs mit ungewissem Ausgang bzw. von ungewisser Dauer.Kurzum: Ein rundum gelungenes, musikalisch vielseitiges, gut strukturiertes Album mit Überraschungsmomenten, das langjährigen Fans, aber auch Freunden amerikanischer Country-Folk-Rock-Musik (à la Joe Henry, Dave Alvin, Calexico) viel Freude bereiten dürfte. Ja, ein Alterswerk, keine Frage, aber eines, das neben dem ungeschönten Blick auf den aktuellen Gemütszustand altbekannter Springsteen-Charaktere seinem mehr als vier Jahrezehnte umspannenden Werk eine musikalisch frische Facette hinzufügt. "Tonight the western stars are burning bright again" - besser als mit dieser Songzeile aus dem Titelstück kann die Qualität von Springsteens 19. Studioalbum kaum umrissen werden.

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