I have listened to the album more than a dozen times during the past three days. On first listen, I thought it sucked. Now, many listens later, I like some of it, but I find problems with much of the songwriting, production and arrangements. Many of the arrangements sound heavy-handed and some of the lyrics seem shallow and clichéd („ is a perfect example of a song that never should have been recorded. The melody is hackneyed and tired — we’ve heard these hard rock changes before, and they weren’t that good in the first place. The beat is plodding, the music — a murky mass of guitars — is indistinct, uninteresting. It’s really hard to imagine the man who once wrote „Thunder Road“ and „Adam Raised a Cain“ singing these words: „Further on up the road/ Further on up the road/ Where the way is dark and the night is cold/ One sunny mornin‘ we’ll rise I know/ And I’ll meet you further on up the road.“
Then there’s the problem of the sound of the E Street Band. On such classic albums as Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, Springsteen and the band together created an unmistakable sound. It utilized classic rock ’n‘ roll elements and instruments including acoustic piano, Hammond organ and saxophone, along with bass, drums and electric guitars. Yet on The Rising, many of the tracks incorporate that truly irritating synth sound that I believe first reared its ugly head on „Dancing in the Dark.“ With a drummer as talented as Max Weinberg, why make use of a drum machine? Often producer Brendan O’Brien turns the E Street Band into an anonymous rock band, neutering them of the idiosyncratic stylistic elements that for so many years made Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sound like themselves.
If I’m making The Rising sound like a disaster, well, it’s not that extreme. Springsteen has made a mediocre album. Not a bad album. Just not an album that I’ll go back to in years to come, the way I periodically go back to the albums he recorded in the ’70s and first half of the ’80s. Still, there are some powerful songs here. „Empty Sky,“ in particular, is a standout. It has a strong melody, a simple, moving arrangement and powerful lyrics. The chorus is a disappointment („Empty sky/ Empty sky/ I woke up this morning to an empty sky“ repeated twice), but the way Springsteen sings it, with moving background vocals from his wife Patti Scialfa, makes it work. „Into the Fire,“ „You’re Missing“ and „Paradise“ are also pretty good. And Springsteen’s voice, throughout, sounds terrific.
And then there’s „Let’s Be Friends (Skin to Skin).“ If it wasn’t buried in the middle of all these „heavy“ songs that we know were inspired by 9/11, you’d just think it was a great, slightly retro soul number. You’d start bouncing around the room or rockin‘ in your car when it came on. You’d smile, give your boyfriend or girlfriend, wife or husband a kiss. And your day would be just a little bit better.
I expect a lot from Bruce Springsteen. His recordings have earned him a place among rock’s greats. I understand that producing great work on demand isn’t easy — and perhaps is impossible. I feel for him. Listening to The Rising is a little like running into an old friend who’s been through some hard times and hasn’t quite recovered. You know it’s the same guy, but that spark is missing. You want it to be there so bad, but it isn’t.
All I want from Bruce Springsteen is an album that gives me goosebumps, the kind I still get when I listen to Darkness on the Edge of Town, or Highway 61 Revisited or Call the Doctor. That’s probably too much to ask.
@ deadflowers….Mr. Goldberg scheint das Album mehrmals angehört zu haben !!!!!!
Er ist einer der wenigen Kritiker die die nötige Distanz zum Objekt ihrer Begierde besitzen, was ich ihm hoch anrechne……mit dem Strohm zu schwimmen is schon immer am einfachsten gewesen……..but time will tell us……..
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