The Boss Plumbs Both Highs and Lows With Equal Ease

The Boss himself uncorks his pen of many colors for "High Hopes". The project is the kitchen sink version of material from past efforts. To his credit he doesn't exclusively rely on one frame of mind to carry the day. Let's suppose up tempo let's not throw in the towel yet sentiments get your mojo blowing and going. "Heaven's Wall" is the track designed to get you over whatever hump is giving you trouble at present. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine fame, himself no stranger to electrifyingly executed rock transforms a goodly number of these classics into set pieces with their own special identity. When he cuts loose a song that could have easily sounded phoned in becomes supercharged. I'd say it's a touch new school dressing up and emboldening the old school master. Bruce Springsteen is really a storyteller's storyteller. Music aficionados have grasped that for years. With any luck some of you out there recall Jim Croce's handiwork, specifically "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown". Jim put together the picture of a man who, if a child accidentally tossed his football into his backyard, he'd likely keep it for himself out of spite. That's certainly what we'd call "meaner than a junkyard dog". Bruce's "Harry's Place" plays out in a very similar vein. You don't mess with Harry's money, women, and all points north, south, east, and west. So in addition to not messing around with Jim, you shouldn't exactly mess around with Harry either. Compelling flavorings of both rock and jazz are at work. Try not to get a sax high. The one we're given here is so silky you'd swear to yourself, "What am I doing even listening to this? I know I sure as hell can't afford finery this exclusive. The title track gets placed in pole position, which is very wise. I say this because each contributing musician is on the top of his games. These individuals aren't mere performers, they're gourmet chefs contributing to a soup that's such a blast to make that prep time, however long that may have been, is hardly a sore point with anybody. The drumming explodes and, by the time you've come back down to Earth, a full on royal jam session is coalescing. That's some sinister bass line guiding this aircraft higher and higher. I bet "High Hopes" the collection wouldn't have been so hotly anticipated if "Harry's Place" kicked it off. Way too rough and tumble to drop defenses. "Just Like Fire Would", which was released as a single earlier this week, like "High Hopes" approaches audiences with a winning payload of spirit. Guitar and drums gel to make the track an inviting pair of skis for Bruce to spin his yarn over. "Frankie Fell In Love" stakes its claim to uniqueness on gorgeous fiddle playing, one of the more refined instruments you're ever bound to hear. "This Is Your Sword" is Bruce's call to shelter when the rains of this life come crashing down way too much for our liking. You'd have though The Boss was consulting with Flogging Molly whose Irish sensible harmonies are the catalyst for their abiding reputation as an incomparable act. "American Skin (41 Shots)" is by far the creepiest of the batch. To pair it in the same bunch as a spit and polished re-do of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was ecstasy with a capital "E". "Down In The Hole" plays up Bruce's kinship with the common man by yielding the spotlight to banjo and church organ, both of which hint at the desire for a roof raising soul revival. One of course rooted in country spunk, the other in the undaunted power of the gospel tradition. "High Hopes" possesses the octane to give anyone hope that, in an ever morphing unpredictable world, Bruce Springsteen's ability to remind us how he's one of rock's great poets and troubadours is reliable money in the bank.