Bruce Springsteen // Working On A Dream

It’s official. I’m in my mid-20s, and I like the music of Bruce Springsteen. There, I’ve said it. And I suspect that I’m not the only one, as the returning (and aging) Springsteen made a very shrewd move in aligning himself with, and providing the soundtrack for, hit film The Wrestler. This gritty insight into the backstage world of the pro wrestling indie circuit provided a vehicle not only for comeback star Mickey Rourke (robbed at the Oscars) to showcase his abilities, but also provided the opportunity for Springsteen himself to reach out to a new cluster of fans. It’s an amazing fact that ‘Working on a Dream’ is the twenty-fourth studio album released by the gravelly-voiced superstar from New Jersey, and it really is a guilty pleasure. Whilst lyrically it may at times offer very little, structurally it’s a different story, with tracks like ‘Queen of the Supermarket’ and the truly anthemic eight-minute opener ‘Outlaw Pete’ building to a veritable crescendo. Standout track is beautiful ballad ‘The Wrestler’ written to accompany the aforementioned film. Several songs seem instantly familiar and can be readily sung along to after just one listen which, let’s be honest, is what Springsteen is all about really. Having been heavily involved in the Obama Presidential Celebrations at the start of '09, and with a Glastonbury headline slot just confirmed, it’s already shaping up to be a busy year for old Brucie – but ‘Working on a Dream’ shows that, unlike Rourke’s character Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, Springsteen still has a lot more fight left in him.