High Hopes - Bruce Springsteen (album review)

 

High Hopes album review

1. High Hopes. Pointless re-recorded version of an already somewhat bland cover from 1995. And it’s the title track??? A cover??? No offense Bruce but... why? 2 stars.
2. Harry’s Place. Not horrible, but this is marred by some extremely foul language. Why Bruce? 1 star (for all the cussing). Without the cussing it would have been a 3 star song.
3. American Skin. Completely unnecessary re-recording of an older song. The live version he released back in ‘99 was great. 4 stars.
4. Just like Fire Would. An odd cover song. Of all songs on Earth to cover... why this one??? Song itself is not bad. To my ears it kinda sounds like a John Mellencamp song. 3 stars.
5. Down in the Hole. Nothing much here. Tries to be a bizarro “I’m on Fire” musically. Meh. 2 stars.
6. Heaven’s wall. It’s ok I guess. Personally I don’t really care for it. 2 stars.
7. Frankie Fell In Love. Cool, catchy, and clever. Love this song! 5 stars.
8. This is Your Sword. Not bad.  Just kind of sounds like another jingle for a car commercial (maybe “This is your Ford”?) 3 stars.
9. Hunter of Invisible Game. To me, musically, it’s rather dull. Lyrics have potential though. 2 stars.
10. Ghost of Tom Joad. An unnecessary studio version of the live version as played on tour. Showcase for Tom Morello’s guitar antics. But why??? 2 stars.
11. The Wall. Moving tribute to the ‘Nam vets he’s known and lost. Very powerful and moving song. 5 stars.
12. Dream Baby Dream. Fine in concert. But as a studio cut it seems totally unnecessary. It’s filler. 2 stars.

American beauty ep...

1. American Beauty. I love this song. Kind of similar tune-wise to Frankie fell in Love. This one is more intense. 5 stars.
2. Mary Mary. A pleasant enough little song. 3.5 stars.
3. Hurry Up Sundown. Nice little pop song!! 4 stars.
4. Hey Blue Eyes. Ok song. Contains unnecessary cussing. 2 stars. Without the cussing it would have been a solid 3 stars.

This record (and the related EP) is a mish-mash of stray outtakes, unneeded cover songs, and needless re-recorded songs.  All in all a so-so record. It seems less than well thought out! Also for whatever reason it was a showcase for, of all people, Tom Morello. In fact Bruce said about the album in a 2013 interview with Andy Greene “I’m not sure if the record would exactly exist without his influence [referring to Tom Morello]”. Well ok then.