Culture
Review

Wrecking Ball

Style: Rock and folk; compare to Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan

Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball

Legacy

March 6, 2012

Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball

Legacy

March 6, 2012

Top tracks: “Wrecking Ball,” “Jack of All Trades,” “Land of Hope and Dreams”

After 2009’s perfunctory, by-the-numbers Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen seemed in danger of becoming a caricature of himself; the Boss punching the clock and delivering uninspired couplets from the comfort of a lush corner office instead of trafficking in the blood and sweat of the factory floor.

But Brooooce is back, and Wrecking Ball (Columbia) 4 stars, his finest album in a decade, gives the lie to the notion of rock legends coasting on past glories. Wrecking Ball is a synthesis of Springsteen sounds old and new, with muscular rockers shouldering up next to atmospheric ballads and raucous folk hootenannies. It’s haunted by the ghost of a lost band member and fueled by the compassion for working-class Americans that has always been the impetus behind Springsteen’s greatest songs. And, in the best tradition of protest music, it’s mad as hell.

In a world of fat-cat bankers and robber barons in corporate boardrooms, in a time when far too many people struggle merely to survive, Springsteen surveys the carnage. The Celtic-influenced “Shackled and Drawn” and the bleak, beautiful ballad “Jack of All Trades” explore the deep resignation and world-weariness of people who are too worn down to fight anymore. But there is anger and seething resentment here as well, particularly on the defiant title track and on first single “We Take Care of Our Own,” an updated but no less ironic “Born in the U.S.A.” in which Springsteen probes vast societal indifference to the plight of the poor.

Against all odds, there is also faith, hope, and love, particularly on the glorious, anthemic “Land of Hope and Dreams,” long a staple of Springsteen’s concerts, and now finally given the rich studio treatment it deserves. Featuring the late Clarence Clemons’ last recorded sax solo, this is gospel music in all senses of the term, as Springsteen envisions a coming world where faith will be rewarded, where social divisions will be broken down, and where fools and kings alike will find welcome.

The writing becomes a little too generic and cliché-ridden on a few songs on the second half of the album, and that’s enough to derail Wrecking Ball just short of classic status. But there are half a dozen songs here that are as incisive and powerful as anything Springsteen has ever written. These are protest songs that transcend eras and ephemeral trends because injustice, in its myriad configurations, is always timeless. It’s great to have Springsteen back, and thundering prophetically.

Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

News

Is the Lord's Prayer a Christian Prayer?

News

Nontraditional Believers Recover Christian Community

Defending Scripture. Literally.

News

Violence in Nigeria: Breaking the Country's Fatal Deadlock

Discipling the Eyes Through Art in Worship

Review

Polarizing Politics by Defending the Declaration

Chuck Colson: Evangelicals Should Be Uniters, Not Dividers

'God Is Not a Genie in a Bottle': Ways We Misuse the Bible

My Top 5 Books on Christianity in North Korea

Review

Tolerance—Or Else: Coercive Attempts to Impose Secular Beliefs

Editorial

How Pastors' Ponzis Affect Our Gospel Witness

News

Mass Appeal: Evangelicals Copy More of Catholic Playbook to Oppose Contraception Ruling

Review

Blue Like Jazz

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Becoming Donald Miller

What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies

Excerpt

Connecting Christ

News

Sex Sect The Family Cleans House

News

Go Figure

Jesus Disappoints Everyone

Proof of a Good God: 'Crucified Under Pontius Pilate'

News

Quotation Marks

News

The Problem 'Son': Debate Continues Over Translating 'Son of God' for Muslims

News

Passages

Letters to the Editor

Journaling Grief: How Web-Based Publishing Is Changing Everything

Jesus Through Jewish Eyes

Books to Note

Wilson's Bookmarks

Employers Can Limit Employees' Speech, TBN’s Lawsuit, Bar Boots Catholic Group, and More News

News

Contract Concern: USAID Policy on Hiring Alarms Charities

Review

October Baby

Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow, Josh Hamilton: Muscular Christianity's Newest Heroes

Interview: Why Sarah Macintosh Ran Away from CCM and Went Back

Review

The Clearing

Review

Feathers & Twine

Review

Songs of Praise & Scorn

View issue

Our Latest

Testimony

I Demolished My Faith for ‘My Best Life.’ It Only Led to Despair.

Queer love, polyamory, and drugs ruined me. That’s where Jesus found me.

The Book Screwtape Feared Most

Once a bedrock Christian classic, Boethius’s “Consolation of Philosophy” has been neglected for decades. It’s time for a revival.

Being Human

Airport Anxiety and Purposeful Publishing with Joy Allmond

CT’s executive editor learned to care for people as a 9/11-era flight attendant.

The Song of Mary Still Echoes Today

How the Magnificat speaks to God’s care for the lowly.

The Surprising Arrival of a Servant

Jesus’ introduction of justice through gentleness.

The Unexpected Fruit of Barrenness

How the kingdom of God delights in grand reversals.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube