The Boss Readies a "Dream"

Generally, I like to spend my time here at WNEW introducing you to some great new releases or highlighting talented up-and-comers, and generally leave the news for the A.M. Nuggets. But when it comes to news concerning Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, especially something as awesome as a brand-new studio album, I think it'd be alright for me to deviate from the norm just this once and share all the necessary details with you. Plus, considering WNEW has always had a warm place in its heart for the Boss, it'd only be right to give the legendary musician props when props are due.

On January 27th, a mere 16 months since the release of the critically acclaimed Magic, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band will officially unveil Working on a Dream. The album, Bruce's sixteenth overall, consists of 12 tracks, plus two bonus ones, all of which were composed shortly after the release of Magic. "Towards the end of recording 'Magic,' excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan O'Brien heard the new songs, he said, 'Let's keep going.' Over the course of the next year, that's just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year's tour," states Springsteen in the official press release.

Springsteen said the songwriting and recording were done very quickly ("we usually used one of our first few takes, and we all had a blast making this one from beginning to end”). That and subsequent recordings with O'Brien, who has previously worked with Springsteen on both Devils and Dust and Magic, seems to have resulted in a wide array of sounds, at least based on three of the previously revealed tracks.

Working on a Dream's title track for example, which was first performed at a rally for President-elect Barack Obama before making its "official debut" on Sunday Night Football this past weekend, sees the E Street Band in a bit more of a subdued state. Offering a folky feel a bit reminiscent of some material off The Rising, the track is heavy in good old-fashioned political commentary, "I’m working on a dream, though sometimes it feels so far away I’m working on a dream, and I know it will be mine someday ," appropriate for many, considering current affairs.

But before some go off on a tangent about how they hate when Bruce goes all political, do bear in mind the two other tracks. While it's very possible that The Wrestler and A Night with the Jersey Devil could end up being the album's only two nonpolitical numbers -- perhaps signified in their "bonus" status -- hey, it's better than nothing. Plus, these are the type of "bonus" tracks that won't get lost in the shuffle. In other words, they're damn good.

First there is The Wrestler, a melodic acoustic number originally written for Darren Aronofsky’s latest film of the same name. Echoing the sounds of Pearl Jam's Man of the Hour, the number offers emotionally-driven songwriting designed to connect with the plight of the film's central character. A Night with the Jersey Devil, on the other hand, is perhaps one of Springsteen's more unique compositions to date, a Waitsian style blues number that evokes a very dark and spooky feel, something which makes sense considering the song was originally released as a free Halloween treat last month. Both songs offer a nice change-up to the folky title track and exhibit yet another impressive example of the legendary musician's diverse scope of musicality.

While we still are a little more than two months away from hearing the rest of Working on a Dream, based on the above and the fact that, well, this is Bruce Springsteen we're talking about, my excitement couldn't be higher. Think Kanye's 808's & Heartbreaks + The Killer's Day & Age, and GnR's Chinese Democracy and then multiply the result by 10,000. Ok, so maybe I'm being a little over-the-top, but when has the Boss ever let us down before?