Album Review: "Wrecking Ball" - Bruce Springsteen

"Wrecking Ball": A-. In the summer of 1967, the Beatles released their eighth studio album, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It was immediately hailed as their best ever, and even today it is on most old-timers' lists as one of the band's two or three best. One reason why "Sergeant Pepper" drew such high acclaim is that, unlike the Beatles' previous albums and unlike just about any album released by other popular recording artists of the day, it was considered a "concept album." There are several opinions and definitions as to what constitutes a concept album. In my humble view, a concept album has two characteristics which distinguish it from other releases. First, and very importantly, each of the songs on a concept album ties into one another thematically. You might say that each song is a chapter in a story, and the album taken as a whole is the story. Consequently, it is not unusual for such an album, in its totality, to be greater than the sum of its parts. The second distinguishing characteristic naturally follows the first, viz., the sequence of the tracks is carefully plotted. To use the book analogy once more, a reader does not read chapter four before she reads chapter two. In a concept album, the writers, artists and producers are careful to present the tracks in the order which they feel best relates the concept or story they're seeking to reveal.

In 2002, Bruce Springsteen released "The Rising," a concept album inspired by the tragedy of the events which transpired on nine-eleven. Earlier this month he released "Wrecking Ball," his fifth release following "The Rising," but the first since "The Rising" to be looked upon as another concept album. The pervading theme in "Wrecking Ball" is a tragedy of a different sort, the causes and consequences of the economic recession which has gripped our country since 2008. The Boss generally hits the mark here, although there are a couple of swings and misses.

The album starts off with "We Take Care Of Our Own," the anthem Bruce and the E Street Band played to open the Grammy Awards telecast last month, and the perfect choice to set the tone. In a time when there appears to be more divisive rhetoric (especially in Washington, DC) and a deeper separation between the "haves" and "have nots," the song is especially timely. We are in a moment in history when, arguably, politics has trumped compassion. "Where're the hearts that run over with mercy?"

For the next six songs, Springsteen carries on his theme of the hopelessness and the feeling of helplessness brought on by hard economic times. The second track, "Easy Money," is a mind-boggler. First, the melody is, ironically, rather jaunty, with a fiddle, hand-clapping and a background chorus, but the lyrics are dark. The song, which is addressed to the singer's wife or girlfriend, is about going into town "looking for easy money," and then he references possession of a hand gun. Putting two and two together, I conclude that the "easy money" in question is a robbery.

Keeping in mind that song sequence is a key element in a concept album, the third track ("Shackled And Drawn") can be interpreted as a message from prison, perhaps for commission of the crime anticipated in "Easy Money." Or, maybe the title is merely a metaphor for a feeling of lost hope. The singer laments his unemployment: "Let a man work, is that so wrong?" It is the working man who is free: "Freedom [is] a dirty shirt, the sun on my face and my shovel in the dirt, a shovel in the dirt keeps the devil gone."

In an album full of thought-provoking songs, the one that chills the spine is "Jack Of All Trades," the fourth track. It is sung from the point of view of a man literally willing to work for food, and assuring his wife that things will be all right. No manner of labor is unacceptable to him, including handyman work on the lawn or on the roof, auto mechanics, laboring in the fields, etc. Despair sets in at the end, singing that if he a had a gun he'd "find the [unidentified] bastards and shoot 'em on sight."

Springsteen wrote the music and the words to all eleven songs. A few threads run through many of them, most notably blaming bankers and fat cats either directly (in "Easy Money," "Shackled And Drawnand" and "Jack Of All Trades") or indirectly ("Death To My Hometown" and "Wrecking Ball") for the sorry state of affairs. Other threads which appear more than once are the last resort decision to turn to crime ("Easy Money" and "Jack Of All Trades"), and a sort of spiritual revivalist call for action ("Rocky Ground" and "Land Of Hope And Dreams").

The one song on the album which is a misfit, "You've Got It," is also one of my favorites. It is a mid-tempo rocker with a structure that brings back memories of "Never Been To Spain" by Three Dog Night and "Southern Voice" by Tim McGraw.

As we have come to expect on E Street Band offerings, the musicianship here is top drawer. Springsteen incorporates many different kinds of instruments to come up with suitable backings to match his lyrics. That ability reminded me of some of John Mellencamp's albums during the most recent stages of his career. The three songs on "Wrecking Ball" where the musicianship was particularly noteworthy were the weeping guitar on "This Depression"," incredible saxophone play by the late, great Big Man, Clarence Clemons on "Land Of Hope And Dreams," and the bluegrass and brass combo on the final song, "We Are Alive."

I feel that Springsteen's desire to pick on bankers is a little too simplistic. When you cast a wide net of criticism, you're going to ensnare more than those culprits deserving of the blame. But, my complaint in that regard is probably best left for another post.