Devils & Dust

About

After the triumph of Bruce Springsteen’s stirring post-9/11 album <i>The Rising</i>—his first record with the E Street Band since 1988’s <i>Tunnel of Love</i>—the Boss decided to shift gears for <i>Devils & Dust</i>. Released in 2005, it’s essentially a solo acoustic album, one that finds Springsteen playing pedal steel and harmonica, and drawing from his existing songwriting archive (as well as tracks composed while he was on the road for 1995’s <i>The Ghost of Tom Joad</i>). There’s a tinge of country music on <i>Devils & Dust</i>, and the occasional drawl. Springsteen’s take on “All the Way Home,” written for fellow Jersey Shore compatriot Southside Johnny back in 1991, updates Southside’s soulful version of the song, turning it into something more modern and alternative. “The Hitter” and “Long Time Comin’,” meanwhile, were both performed live on the <i>Tom Joad</i> tour. The rest of the record is a bit of a grab-bag: There are a few sweet number, like “Leah” and “Silver Palomino”—the latter written in tribute to the passing of a friend. “Long Time Comin’” and “Jesus Was an Only Son” touch on the challenges of being in a family and raising children. And the title track is written from the perspective of a veteran of the second Iraq war—the story of a man wrestling with his demon. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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