Bruce Springsteen - Magic
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Free Music Notes for Magic
Free Music Review: Worst Springsteen EVER
Hit: 1 Stars
The only "MAGIC" was them fooling fans into buying this waste of plastic. This is the Last time I buy springsteen without reading lotsa real reviews first. In fact I will never buy one of his albums again until Bruce gives me a good sounding copy to replace this. I have to think that many of the 5 star reviews are written by marketing people. With the very sad state of music today one would think it would be easy for a great writer like Springsteen to be a hit once again. Sad to say this is his very worst album ever, and yes i own almost all. The writing is very poor with maybe 2 slightly decent songs. The sound quality is terrible, I'm thinking maybe they are making this music to sound good on ear buds because on my very nice stereo it sounds like crud. Bruce was once one of my very favorite artists but now like that old favorite sports star you just wish he would retire with some dignity. The Cowboy Junkies have done some excellent Springsteen covers or go buy a Wilco album, you won't be dissapointed. Do not buy this album! Free Music Review: Bruce's most enjoyable album since, well, almost forever
Hit: 4 Stars
Bruce Spingsteen has been quite buzy in this decade (after a 6 year lul following 1995's "The Ghost of Tom Joad"), indeed this release marks the 6th release in 7 years (The Rising; Live in New York City; Devils & Dust; We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions; Live in Dublin; and now this).
"Magic" (12 tracks, including one "bonus" track; 48 min.) is a breath of fresh air, as it really truly brings back the sound of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band as we had come to know and love them in the 70s and 80s (sorry, but "The Rising" album was a 'false' alarm in my opinion). Lead-off track (and first single) "Radio Nowhere" sets the tone and feels like it could have been a track from the "Born in the USA" era. Strong track after strong track follows, and really there isn't a weak track on here. My personal favorites on here include "Livin' In the Future", "Girls In THeir Summer Clothes", the title track and the 'closer' "Devil's Arcade". It really isn't the closer as it is followed by a bonus track "Terry's Song", a solo track from Bruce in tribute to Terry Magovern who passed away while the album was being recorded. In all, "Magic" is just that, a fantastic album by one of the legends in the music business.
I had the good fortune of seeing Bruce and the band in concert last month here in Cincinnati, and they put on a fantastic 2 hr. 20 min. set that included a bunch of songs from the "Magic" album, alongside a number of Bruce's classics. The "Magic" songs fitted in perfectly with those classics, and that is about the best compliment anyone could make about this album.
Free Music Review: Believe the Hype: Best Springsteen Album in 20 years!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I can't pretend that I'm old enough to tell you that I remember listening to Born the U.S.A. in high school, but I am a big fan of Bruce and very familiar with his music. In my view, Magic is without a doubt his best since Born in the U.S.A. There's not one song on the album that is sub-par, and it maintains that unique E Street sound that has been lacking in some of Bruce's more recent albums.
The opening track, "Radio Nowhere", is probably the most widely played on the album and with good reason....it's a great, up-tempo song. But Radio Nowhere is only the beginning in an album full of gems.
Here are a few of my favorites:
"You'll Be Coming Down" is a good, confident, mid-tempo song with a great combo of sax and guitar.
"Living in the Future" is another, excellent, up-tempo song with a great tune and message. This is the addicting one that you'll be singing to yourself all day.
"You Own Worst Enemy" is another addicting, slower-tempo track that you can really identify with on a bad day.
The title track, "Magic", is very reminiscent of "The Rising", although I actually prefer it because it is much less repetitive and very relaxing.
"Last to Die" is the most openly political track on the album, drawing on John Kerry's famous quote after returning to the United States after serving in Vietnam. Of course, this time Springsteen is obviously taking aim at that mess we have going on in Iraq. It's a great song, and more power to him for getting an important message out there.
Hailed by many as the best track on the album, "Long Walk Home" is an excellent song that reminds me very much of Thunder Road. It has that laid back beginning that gets more and more up-tempo, fun and just plain awesome all the way through.
All things considered, this is an absolutely excellent album. Bruce is still putting quality stuff out there and I think this is really the best in a long time. Highly recommended!
Free Music Review: Good return to form
Hit: 4 Stars
I bought this CD about six months ago after hearing Bruce was again working with the E Street Band. While it lacks any overarching theme(s) such as in Born In The USA or Born To Run albums, it still is a great listen as it displays musical sparks from his past efforts while remaining fresh.
The upbeat Livin' In The Future sounds like something he could have recorded with Gary U.S. Bonds in the early 80s, while I'll Work For Your Love is a beautifully sincere song of devotion (probably something we don't hear much in music these days). I regularly listened to Girls In Their Summer Clothes with headphones on while walking to and from work just as the southern summer was approaching and boy did it conjure up some (mostly) happy mental images and it's still conjuring up some images now that the summer is over. A few songs including the title track can take a few listens before they can be really appreciated. This could be because there is not that one overarching theme.
I agree with some of the other reviewers that the sound production sometimes does not feel right, probably somewhat distorted such as in You'll Be Comin' Down (though not a bad song). Overall, the lyrics on this album could be described as interesting in that they sometimes paint a beautiful picture but sometimes can be a little too cryptic. Bruce's lyrics on this album also display quite a fascination with blood..... Hmm!
For an artist who's way past his youth, this is a good return to form. Buying this CD has also taken me back a few years to a time when buying an album was a satisfying experience. John Fogerty's recent Revival release also did something similar.
Free Music Review: Sappy
Hit: 1 Stars
So far as I know, I've only heard one song from this album. Is that enough to do a review of the album? I think so. The song is "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," and I've only heard it recently because the music video gets played *constantly* at the gym I recently started attending. I heard the song several times and hated it right away, but at first I had no idea it was Springsteen. It doesn't sound at all like him. It sounds like Green Day or maybe Coldplay trying to be as sappy as they can to make the biggest possible score in the pop market.
Even worse is the video. (That was how I found out this was a Springsteen song.) Good God. Is this really Bruce Springsteen? I already knew that too often, pharmaceutical commercials look like music videos, and music videos look like pharmaceutical commercials, but this video seems to be the textbook case. You can't possibly get any more emasculated. "Do you suffer from feminine itch?" the screen seems to ask. "Try Magicil. Ask your doctor for details!"
Is this really the guy who did "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Nebraska"? Is he reduced to doing macho poses with an acoustic guitar on a hilltop while a camera circles around him? Intercut with pretentious images of "girls" of all ages staring serenely and majestically into the camera? Did he not make enough money from this previously multi-platinum albums that he has to resort to lite FM musical stylings?
This song is so bad, so syrupy, so dull, so tedious, so awful that I wouldn't listen to the rest of the album if it were given to me.
Maybe Bruce can go on tour with Celine Dion. As for me, I wear earplugs at the gym.