High Hopes is certainly an atypical Bruce Springsteen album. So what does Springsteen’s radical shift amount to? So usually meticulous about the thematic coherence of his albums, this time round The Boss has released an album of leftover tracks written for previous albums, plus a few covers. Although this leaves it feeling a little slap-dash, the songs are sufficiently enjoyable for it feel successful. Nevertheless, it feels stale compared to the vision of his more politicised work, like 2012’s Wrecking Ball, or the classic Darkness on the Edge of Town.
To begin with, let’s look at the faults. Overwhelmingly, the main culprits are the covers. These songs, which flow directly out of his recent tours, feel expendable: fun, but they do not reinvent the tracks in any interesting way, even with Tom Morello shredding on guitar. However, in his originals, Springsteen proves that he remains a songwriter with a deep understanding of community and feeling.
Above all, Springsteen’s keen eye for emotional detail and evocative lyrics elevate tracks like the joyous rocker ‘Frankie Fell in Love’, and the wistful and contemplative ‘Hunter of Invisible Game’. A particular triumph is ‘The Wall’, a melancholic response to the death of a childhood friend in Vietnam.
