Good music, better mastering than the last couple. Still loud, but not the assault that Magic was. I really like Bruce's "folk" mode, exemplified in The Seeger Sessions" but having a heavy influence on some of the material in this record as well. This is who he is, what he has grown into, IMO, whether he's singing Adam Raised A Cain" or "Oh Mary Don't You Weep," Springsteen is the quintessential American folk artist. The embodiment of Americana, without the alt. country. He has swung in and out of this mode for years, since Nebraska. Sometimes the folk song was hidden just below the surface (try The Band's cover of "Atlantic City") sometimes it was right there, in your face. But it's always there, and it's the real deal.
The many people who dismiss The Boss as a commercial rock star are not paying attention.
Tim
Tim