11/26/22
Only the Strong Survive- Bruce Springsteen
Album Review
Soul music has found its way into Bruce Springsteen’s sound from the start, but his latest album has him meeting 15 tracks of soul songs, most of them classics, on their own terms.
The dominant themes of these songs are pretty much what he’s been writing about for the last 50 years---the present is in a state of tension between a past that we yearn for and a future that we are putting our hopes in. Only the Strong Survive is a world where the only joy in the present comes from the thought of Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson entertaining audiences in afterlife gigs you are missing out on. To hear rock music’s voice of determination and faith in this setting does provide a fresh perspective on tracks such as The Supreme’s “Someday we’ll be together” and Tyrone Davis’ “Turn back the hands of time" as he draws out the hope we cling to that our perseverance and the hard work making repairs on ourselves will be rewarded.
The backing band on here is top notch throughout and carries the songs at some points, but occasionally the studio setting is too restrictive. “7 rooms of gloom” and the spoken intro to the opening track just beg for Bruce’s stadium rock histrionics in front of a crowd to witness him testifyin’. And “I forgot to be your lover” reminds me what an incredible job Billy Idol did with his cover of the song. While “The sun ain’t gonna shine anymore” doesn’t reach inside and shake me the way his fellow Jersey Boys, The Four Seasons, can with their treatment of the song.
But those are about the only glitches. This isn’t an album I foresee putting on often, but it will suit certain moods and situations perfectly, such as 12:55 am in a Milwaukee tavern full of strangers.
The real gem on here for me is “Nightshift.” Never imagined we would gain much from Bruce covering The Commadores hit, but his voice and the band create an atmosphere where when he sings “Marvin, he was a friend of mine”, knowing it is a “friend” only through Marvin’s songs, music’s mysterious yet evident power to transcend is felt and Mavin and Jackie have overcome their tragic endings and found a glorious home for 4 minutes and 57 seconds. You can’t ask for much more from an artist.
Bruce was at such a peak for me with his two previous albums that I almost wish he wouldn’t take a moment to stop and reflect at the top, but Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp both followed cover albums of the songs that inspired them with some of their best music ever. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce does the same and given that he will also be hitting the road soon, all the ingredients are in place for some great new music. In the meantime, this is a solid collection.
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