Bruce Springsteen — Devils & Dust

The man who was once heralded as "the new Dylan" has returned from a brilliant turn with his E Street Band to his version of the old Dylan. With songs written over the course of the last decade, Bruce Springsteen’s new solo album isn’t as consistently stark as 1982’s Nebraska, but it follows the same formula of Americana-style narrative ballads. Some, like the boxer tragedy "The Hitter" are well-crafted and pack a strong punch. Others, like the explicit prostitution tale "Reno" are lyrically overwrought (who needs to hear the Boss use the phrase "up the ass?") and musically boring. Devils & Dust features some fine storytelling, but like too many of Springsteen’s between-masterpiece albums, this one is more dreary deadweight than blue collar revelation.

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