Bruce Springsteen

Working on a Dream feels like the sunnier companion of Magic, and no wonder: The Boss began tracking with producer Brendan O'Brien immediately following the wrap of Magic. Maybe it was all Springsteen's time stumping for Obama, but the tone here is relatively sanguine, as he falls head-over-heels in love with the "Queen of the Supermarket," spews plenty of "I love you's" over "Kingdom of Days" and literally whistles while he works through the title track. It gets a bit thick, but the late-coming introspection, including "Life Itself," averts a Tunnel of Love-size disappointment.

To understand the romantic sweep and swaggering musical ambition that define Bruce
Springsteen's first album of the Obama era, you have to go all the way back to an artifact of
the Ford administration: 1975's Born to Run. In those days, Springsteen was driving the E
Street Band without a seat belt, staying up all night piling on overdubs: glockenspiel, surf
guitar, violins, motorcycle noises. With a few exceptions, he's been paring dow... More >