‘The Boss’ still working

Working on a Dream

by Bruce Springsteen (Columbia, 2009; $18.98)

Image courtesy Columbia Records/Sony BmgThe 2008 book The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen looks at the spiritual commentary in the songs of the immensely popular rock star known by his fans as “The Boss.” Springsteen’s latest release, Working on a Dream, came out after that book was published, but it furthers Springsteen’s reputation as a chronicler of Americans’ spiritual searching.

Dream reveals an aging, more reflective Boss than the one who hurled thinly veiled insults at President George W. Bush just two years ago in the album Magic. Perhaps it was the death of a long-time E Street Band member that set the softer emotional tone of this record. Whatever the reason, several cuts have Springsteen looking at “this life and then the next,” counting his blessings and contemplating his own mortality. In “This Life” he asks, “Why do things we treasure most slip away in time? Till to the music we grow deaf and to God’s beauty we grow blind.”

“The Last Carnival” begins at sundown with the carnies taking the circus tent down in a world where all has “gone still.” In the darkness Springsteen’s haunting voice utters, “We’ll be riding the train without you tonight,” an obvious reference to the deceased E Street keyboarder Danny Federici, who died last year after battling melanoma. Just then, a full gospel choir enters, moaning a wordless lament.

Bruce turns bluesman in “Good Eye” and “The New Jersey Devil.” While these tracks, along with “Outlaw Pete,” represent obvious departures from the E Street sound, they share the ominous sense of sin and loss that runs throughout the record. “The Wrestler,” written for the Mickey Rourke film, creates a bleak picture of a once strong man reduced by time and strife to a “one-legged dog makin’ his way down the street.”

But the record is not without hope. Springsteen was a harsh critic of Bush and endorsed Obama. In this album, he seems to be marking the historic and hopeful transition by recasting the American Dream. In the title cut, the working man “straightens his back,” “swings his hammer” and “climbs the ladder,” accompanied by the vintage E Street harmonies of Little Steven and Patti Scialfa.

All in all, Working on a Dream does not disappoint. Springsteen will turn 60 this year. Deep down, we all knew that one day even “The Boss” would begin to age. This record assures us that he’ll do so with grace, poetry, and plenty more rock ’n roll.

—Toby Jones, author of The Gospel According to Rock and a Presbyterian pastor in Harbor Springs, Mich.

Songs for living

Bruce Springsteen sings about the mystery of being in relationship. Photo by Kevin Mazur 2005.Magic

Bruce Springsteen (Sony, 2007)

Presbyterians stress connectional relationships, which is also a big part of being a Bruce Springsteen fan. Springsteen understands that it really is eventually about connection. If you’ve seen him in concert, you know the familiar question that usually comes up at some point in the three-plus hours: “Is anybody alive out there?” In a broken world, with broken relationships, broken promises, broken covenants, Springsteen wants to get us back in touch with the physical and spiritual reality of each other and the amazing possibilities and mystery of being in relationship.

In a Friday morning concert on the Today show, just prior to the release of this new CD, Springsteen noted that his aim for this album was simply to make music folks could vacuum the floor to. Springsteen’s songs are about the magic that lies in what appear to be the mundane moments of life.  Check out the wonderful details that dot the lyrics of “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” and “Long Walk Home,” for example.

So yes, these are songs for vacuuming. They are also good for driving, working, reading, just about anything. They are songs, like Bruce has always made, that are good for living.  Helping us recognize the joy amidst the challenges, and the fundamental wonder of one another.  In short, magic.

—George Love, pastor of Hebron Presbyterian Church in Shepherdsville, Ky.

Music that matters

All That Matters

by Bryan Field McFarland (Sassafrasongs, 2007)

Bryan Field McFarland’s All That Matters sets a new standard for independent recordings. Strong lyrics, tight harmonies, catchy melodies, and a solid band lay the groundwork for an enjoyable ride through a variety of genres, while maintaining the theme that “God is love, and love is all that matters.”

The album contains bouncy songs like Open the Gift and Blacktop River, as well as reflective, heartfelt works, such as You Are, Help Us and Lyrica (Celtic Prayer). You’ll also find it hard to listen to What I Want without a smile on your face. McFarland, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), calls his compositions “sermon-songs,” and rightly so. Each of the 12 songs has a well-crafted message that could easily be used for sermon material.

A master storyteller, McFarland communicates with clarity and passion, obviously a result of many years of ministry experience. He keeps the vocals out in front, never letting the music overpower the lyrics. His uncluttered arrangements nicely complement the mood of each song.

McFarland is contributing a portion of the proceeds of two songs to charities. Enough for Everyone, which addresses world hunger, will benefit the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Lyrical Freedom Riders, whichtells about the 1961 Freedom Riders, who played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, will benefit the We Shall Overcome Fund.

So whether you’re in the mood for a worship song, a thought-provoking lyric, or a toe-tapping upbeat tempo, just pop All That Matters into your CD player and get ready for an enjoyable encounter with McFarland’s creations. When it comes to music, isn’t that all that matters?

—Jeff Friend, a freelance writer in Largo, Fla.