ee
      ae
      Loge
      ere
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Human
      Touch’
     
     
      Lucky
      Town
     
    

    
     
      Bruce
      Springsteen
     
     
      (Sony)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wow,
      what
      a
      great
      way
      to
      end
      the
     
     
      year--two
      new
      Springsteen
      albums.
      I
     
     
      haven’
      t
      had
      such
      high
      expectations
     
     
      since
      Achtung
      Baby.
      But
      while
      Achtung
     
     
      scored
      big
      in
      the
      artistic
      integrity
     
     
      categories,
      it
      was
      an
      emotional
      let-
     
     
      down.
      Human
      Touch
      and
      Lucky
      Town,
     
     
      on
      the
      other
      hand,
      are
      just
      another
      pair
     
     
      of
      excellent
      Bruce
      Springsteen
      albums.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Human
      Touch
      is
      a
      return
      to
      Born
      in
      the
     
     
      U.S.A,
      territory.
      The
      powerhouse
      first
     
     
      single,
      ‘Human
      Touch,’’
      leads
      off
      the
     
     
      album
      much
      like
      ‘‘Bornin
      the
      U.S.A.”’
     
     
      did
      that
      album.
      While
      definitely
      not
      as
     
     
      powerful
      as
      ‘‘Born,’’
      ‘‘Human
      Touch’’
     
     
      is
      the
      best
      song
      on
      both
      albums
      and
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      best
      of
      recent
      memory.
      The
      rest
     
     
      consists
      mainly
      of
      E
      Street-styled
     
     
      rockers.
      The
      songwriting
      is,
      of
      course,
     
     
      uniformly
      excellent.
      As
      usual
      it
      all
     
     
      echoes
      classic
      rock
      but
      is
      defined
      by
     
     
      Springsteen’s
      unique
      vision.
      *“Soul
     
     
      Driver’’
      isreminiscent
      of
      an
      up-tempo
     
     
      **Little
      Wing’’
      and
      ‘‘Cross
      My
      Heart,”’
     
     
      “‘Real
      World’’
      and
      ‘‘The
      Long
      Good-
     
     
      bye’’
      are
      bar
      band
      rock
      at
      its
      absolute
     
     
      best.
      Helping
      Bruce
      out
      on
      vocals
      we
     
     
      have
      Sam
      Moore,
      formerly
      of
      Sam
      &
     
     
      Dave
      (yahoo!),
      and
      Bobby
      King.
     
     
      Springsteen’s
      own
      singing
      has
      ad-
     
     
      vanced
      much
      since,
      say,
      The
      River,
     
     
      where
      his
      lion’s
      roar
      sometimes
      gota
     
     
      bit
      grating.
      He’s
      evolved
      into
      quite
      a
     
     
      soulful
      vocalist
      and
      sings
      with
      emo-
     
     
      tional
      intelligence
      (if
      that
      makes
     
     
      sense).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lyrically
      Human
      Touch
      breaks
      little
     
     
      new
      ground.
      It’s
      filled
      with
      Bruce’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ne
      i
      eg
      6
      ae
      es
     
    
   
   
    
     
      traditional
      Americana
      themes.
      This
      is
     
     
      Springsteen’s
      first
      album
      since
      The
     
     
      River
      to
      not
      be
      a
      distinct
      lyrical
      piece.
     
     
      On
      Tunnel
      of
      Love
      Bruce
      managed
      to
     
     
      come
      up
      with
      an
      interesting
      view
      of
     
     
      luv,
      rock
      ‘n’
      roll’s
      thoroughly
      drained
     
     
      milking
      cow.
      I’ll
      assume
      his
      life
      was
     
     
      quite
      tumultuous
      then
      and
      now
      I'll
     
     
      assume
      he’s
      quite
      contented--Human
     
     
      Touch
      reflects
      it.
      Regardless,
      the
      sound
     
     
      of
      Bruce
      spinning
      his
      word-wheels
      ain’t
     
     
      all
      that
      bad.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      testament
      to
      Human
      Touch’s
      quality
     
     
      is
      that
      it
      actually
      rivals
      Born
      in
      the
     
     
      U.S.A.,
      possibly
      Springsteen’s
      best
     
     
      album
      (the
      common
      choice
      generally
     
     
      being
      Born
      to
      Run).
      The
      reason
      I
      prefer
     
     
      Born
      in
      the
      U.S.A.
      is
      because
      it’s
      far
     
     
      more
      interesting
      lyrically
      and
      nothing
     
     
      here
      matches
      the
      emotional
      wallop
      of
     
     
      **Bornin
      the
      U.S.A..’’
      Butevencom-
     
     
      paring
      it
      to
      that
      album,
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      greats,
      is
      a
      huge
      compliment.
      This
      is
      a
     
     
      great
      one,
      folks;
      the
      best
      since
      J
      Do
     
     
      Not
      Want
      WhatI
      Haven't
      Got.
      (About
     
     
      my
      hailing
      of
      the
      Junkies,
      I
      overrated
     
     
      that
      one.
      I
      mean,
      it’s
      really
      good
      but
     
     
      not
      in
      this
      territory.)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      gotta
      mention
      this,
      maybe
      it’s
      just
     
     
      me,
      but
      this
      album
      bears
      a
      Jot
      of
     
     
      similarities
      to
      Born
      in
      the
      U.S.A.:
      the
     
     
      opening
      songs
      are
      both
      epic
      rockers,
     
     
      the
      second
      last
      are
      both
      synthesized
     
     
      rockers,
      the
      sixth
      and
      last
      are
      both
     
     
      acoustic
      ballads
      and
      the
      rest
      of
      both
     
     
      are
      mainly
      up-tempo
      party
      tunes.
      Is
     
     
      this
      a
      retread?
      I
      really
      don’t
      care,
     
     
      just
      thought
      I’d
      mention
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      don’t
      know
      for
      sure,
      but
     
     
      I’ll
      bet
      my
      blue
      jeans
     
     
      and
      ’59
      Chevy
      Lucky
     
     
      Town
      is
      the
      album
     
    

    
     
      he
      zoomed
      through.
     
     
      This
      is
      the
      Bruce
      one-
     
     
      man-show
      album
      (only
     
     
      Gary
      Mallabar
     
     
      assists
      on
      drums),
     
     
      more
      abrasive
      both
     
     
      instrumentally
     
     
      and
      vocally
     
     
      and
      more
     
     
      country-
     
     
      tinged
     
     
      versus
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Human’s
      soul/rock-tinge.
      Also
      different
     
     
      is
      the
      background
      singing--a
      few
     
     
      women
      as
      opposed
      to
      the
      one
      soul
      man
     
     
      on
      Human.
      Numbers
      like
      ‘‘If
      I
      Should
     
     
      Fall
      Behind,’’
      ‘‘Book
      of
      Dreams’’
      and
     
     
      ““My
      Beautiful
      Reward’’
      are
      straight
     
     
      off
      Tunnel
      of
      Love.
      The
      rest
      is
      similar
     
     
      in
      tone
      but
      more
      up-beat.
      The
     
     
      songwriting
      is
      almost
      as
      good
      and
      hits
     
     
      highs
      with
      ‘‘Living
      Proof,’
      with
      its
     
     
      gloriously
      shredded
      vocal,
      the
      ominous
     
     
      ‘Souls
      of
      the
      Departed’’
      and
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      few
      moments
      of
      bitterness,
      ‘‘The
      Big
     
     
      Muddy.’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Not
      at
      the
      level
      of
      Tunnel,
      a
      total
     
     
      triumph
      in
      my
      eyes,
      Lucky
      Town
      is
      the
     
     
      sound
      of
      Bruce
      Springsteen
      showing
     
     
      just
      how
      easy
      itis
      for
      him.
      Both
      of
     
     
      these
      works
      are
      heavenly,
      inspiring
     
     
      rock
      ‘n’
      roll.
      Human
      Touch
      is
      abso-
     
     
      lutely
      the
      pick
      of
      the
      pair,
      but
      if
      you’re
     
     
      a
      fan
      of
      the
      Boss,
      or
      a
      fan
      of
      rock
      ‘n’
     
     
      roll,
      you’Il
      need
      both.
      Ah,
      the
      sun
      rises,
     
     
      the
      sun
      sets
      and
      here’s
      two
      more
      great
     
     
      Springsteen
      albums.
      It’s
      nice
      to
      have
      ©
     
     
      such
      regularity
      in
      my
      life.
      So
      summer's
     
     
      approaching,
      enrich
      your
      appreciation
      -
     
     
      of
      life
      with
      these
      glorious
      albums.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      I
      guess
      this
      is
      it,
      y’all.
      I'd
      like
      te
     
     
      thank
      all
      the
      people
      who’ve
      read
      my
      ~
     
     
      stuff.
      Oh
      yeah,
      and
      to
      Heather:
      I
      hear
      ©
     
     
      ya.
      Anyway,
      enjoy
      these
      Springsteen
     
     
      albums
      and
      see
      ya
      in
      the
      fall.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ote