Magic
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Label: Sony
URL: www.brucespringsteen.com
Time: 12 Tracks 47:48
  
Bruce Springsteen is certainly not a stranger to the American musical landscape. Along with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Tom Petty, he has become one of the select few musicians who has continually crafted new music that is both relevant and entertaining to generation after generation of music lovers. Similar to Petty, Springsteen has released both solo albums, and albums that feature a consistent background group of musicians that allow for full rock out sound. For Petty it has been the Heartbreakers, and for Springsteen it has been the infamous E Street Band, that re-joins him on Magic for the first time in five years.
 
Springsteen fans will remember the last record quite vividly that was recorded with the E Street Band. That album was the post 9/11 inspired masterpiece The Rising which was released around the time of the one-year anniversary of September 11th, 2001. Critics would be hard pressed to find a more stirring concept album based on the feelings racing through the veins of a nation stunned by such an atrocious act of terror. That being said, “Magic” takes a much lighter and future oriented optimistic collection of songs and spins them out at a great and fast paced clip. 
 
“Radio Nowhere” opens the album with a very catchy guitar riff that draws some similarities to the classic 1982 Tommy Tutone hit “867-5309/Jenny.” It’s a song about desiring to wake up a world that seems to be caught in a slumber of daily to do list life styles. 
 
“You’ll Be Coming Down” and “Living In The Future” are both optimistic heartland rockers that sounds like vintage Springsteen during his mid-80’s era albums. 
 
“Your Own Worst Enemy” is an interesting and thought provoking song about a person whose ‘own worst enemy has come town.’ We later go on to learn that this persons enemy is a girl that caused him a large amount of heartache. 
 
“Girls In Their Summer Clothes” features a synthesizer overdubbed by acoustic guitar strums. It’s about those romantic summers that a person sometimes longs to go back to as they age. This is certainly one of the albums most sentimental songs, and a definite highlight, a nostalgic song that Springsteen has become a master at (think of songs like “The River,” “Glory Days,” and “My Hometown.”) 
 
“I’ll Work For Your Love” opens with a piano riff that is reminiscent of “Thunder Road” from the Boss’s classic debut album “Born To Run,” yet then develops into another rootsy rocker about a man who is willing to work to keep his relationship healthy. It’s a strong song with an important message for men who think that the health of a relationship is the woman’s job. 
 
 “Last To Die” mentions that a wise man will die for a good cause, but only a fool will die for a mistake. 
 
“Long Walk Home” once again harkens back to classic Springsteen, as the song’s protagonist reflects on returning to his hometown after years of living elsewhere. It is almost a kind of sequel to “My Hometown.” 
 
“Devil’s Arcade” is a song about betrayal and frustration, and it backed by a great mix of orchestration and guitarwork. 
 
“Terry’s Song” is the final cut on this project, and it is tribute to Springsteen’s close friend and associate Terry Magovern, who passed way this past summer. It’s the most acoustic based song on this project, and features a few harmonica solos as well, which somehow is quite fitting for a tribute song of memorial. 
 
This is probably Springsteen’s best record in over 15 years. Unfortunely when this album will probably be overlooked at the close of the decade here, when it comes time to name The Boss’s best record of the decade. I’m sure this award will go to The Rising and that is a fitting and poignant choice. However, I somehow feel that this record is actually stronger as a whole, than any of his other albums released since Born In The USA.
 
 
James Morovich
12/4/07