Music Review: BRUCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In 2006, Bruce Springsteen recorded "The Seeger Sessions." This tribute to the protest and Folk music of Pete Seeger must have radically changed Mr. Springsteen, because a few years later, when he recorded, "Working on a Dream," his writing style had completely changed. Most of that album featured songs based around very simple and repetitive melodies with incredibly poignant lyrics. He had completed his transition from being an elaborate storyteller composing magnum opera of epic proportions like "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road;" to being a folk songwriter in the tradition of the greats, Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie.

"Wrecking Ball" expands on what "Working on a Dream" did so well: using simplicity as a basis, and letting the passion and power come from the orchestrations and performance. The lyrics reflect our time, and the challenged of the 21st century; but the folksiness of the songs remind us that it's all a part of what America's all about.

When he performed "We Take Care of Our Own" at the Grammys, I was hooked. The song so simply drives home the point of us caring for our fellow Americans, and his frustration with those who would insist that we shouldn't. On Late Night, I heard him perform "Jack of All Trades;" an elegy for those who are out of work pursuing some way of supporting their family. After listing possible ways that he could earn some income, he croaks, "I'm a Jack of All Trades; honey, we'll be all right." I started tearing up, because that's the exact same conversation I've had with my family every time I've ever lost a job.

That's the tone of this whole album. Borrowing from all forms of folk music, including Celtic, and Appalachian, it's Bruce at his best, and most relevant. It's also the E Street Band at their most supportive and versatile. It's the first to get my vote for Album of the Year.