Only a man with a soul deeply rooted in both America’s spirit and the sweat and toil of his fellow Americans could, for 30 years, succeed at poignantly capturing the emotions of a changing nation in his lyrics. With the release of “The Rising,” Bruce Springsteen has done just that and more, without being preachy or repetitive.
“The Rising” is the first full-album released by Springsteen and his fully reunited E Street Band since 1984’s “Born in The U.S.A.” It also is his first album since “The Ghost of Tom Joad” in 1995. The album is largely his response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with only a handful of the songs being written before the tragedy.
For the first time, the album is produced solely by an outsider, Brendan O’Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam). Springsteen has always had a hand in producing, but O’Brien does an excellent job by not overproducing, which allows the band to recapture its unique sound.
That unique sound, coupled with raw emotion, is what makes “The Rising” truly amazing.
“My City of Ruins,” a heartfelt, gripping tribute to those lost on Sept. 11, debuted last September during the “America: Tribute to Heroes” television fund-raiser. The song received rave reviews for its ability to capture the spirit of a mourning country.
“Empty Sky” recalls the grounding of flights after the attacks, while songs such as “Into the Fire” and “Nothing Man” pay tribute to the members of the New York police and fire department members that risked their lives to save others. “Nothing Man” also criticizes the nation for being fashionably patriotic last year, but now acting like nothing has changed.
Musically, the band is as strong as ever. Gospel and jazz sounds are laid alongside strong guitar riffs and Springsteen’s trademark husky, minister-preaching-to-the-back-row yelling. Clarence Clemons’ saxophone has rarely sounded better than on “Mary’s Place” - the song on the album that most harkens back to E Street’s glory days.
“Paradise” recalls Springsteen’s sparse and stripped-down acoustic “Nebraska” and “Tom Joad” albums, with subtle - but not hidden - help from his band mates, specifically Max Weinberg’s brushes on the drums and backing vocals from Patty Scialfa, who is Springsteen’s wife.
“Worlds Apart” stands as the diamond in the rough among the album’s tracks. Supported by a group of Pakistani musicians led by Asif Ali Khan, “Worlds Apart” bridges Eastern and Western cultures, both musically and in the song’s message - “Let love give what it gives.”
A proper eulogy and the best testimony to those lost in the Sept. 11 tragedy, “The Rising” proves Springsteen and the E Street Band are like fine wines - they get better with age.
