Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run)

CD Review:
When looking at Bruce's catalogue, this album is considered his best, but not most popular album (that would go to Born in the U.S.A.). From listening to his songs on the radio and owning four of his albums, I have come to the conclusion that, like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, some of his influences, and like Bryan Adams and John Cougar Mellencamp, two of his followers, he is an acquired taste. Acquired, in that they all have songwriting talent and can play their instruments well, but they just can't sing.

Where I will give Van and Bob my listening ear for their obvious overcoming of their singing limitations, I can't with Bruce. On this album he needs a better voice since he is not singing in a slow relaxed manner. The strain in his voice is almost as bad as Steve Tyler's.

Singing about the plight of the working man in and around New Jersey doesn't much interest me either. His music is good, or more to the point, the E Street Band, are good. But even their music is too much. They play way too many instruments, all competing for your ear, until it gets to be tiresome. It ends up sounding too much like noise.

The one song that I do enjoy on this album, not surprisingly, is "Meeting across the River" since it is slow with only piano and horn accompaniment. "Jungleland" also is adequate and has a great sax solo that is a pleasure to listen to. In fact, the two things I enjoyed the most was the sax and piano; when you could actually hear them. David Sanborn and Roy Bitton play their instruments beautifully.

But overall, Bruce's voice, and filling the album with as many instruments as possible, was simply too much for me. This album and Darkness at the Edge of Town, are considered two of the all time greats in rock album history, but certainly not by me. If Bruce doesn't smoke, he should start, since this might give him a valid excuse for his terrible pipes.

Scott D. Brown