The Rising

Meh.

Like it 3/5

I am a big believer in art being political, but cannot possibly get excited about 80 minutes of The Boss singing about the twin towers. I tend to loathe Bruce at the best of times. His best songs are basically 3 stars for me, so this is daunting. The first thing is, at least the mealymouth is toned down. Also, god bless low expectations. This feels like a generic album of its ilk, which is a step up at least from a Springsteen album. Let's be Friends has notes of Rob Thomas in it, no less. But the only really notable bit is the inspiration, and it's sort of proof that even an emotional, earnest motivation doesn't mean the music will be great. This is a tepid 3*

Ait

Liker vanligvis bruce veldig godt, men denne var litt kjedelig

Kinda an empty 'peace to all' message. Just generally a weird album thread. Didn't realize Springsteen was SO poppy. This is a later album in his career though so I'm curious about his earlier stuff - Right off the bat I can hear that 'every man' sound - Struggling to engage with this over a choppy few listening sessions. Giving it one last continuous listen but it's just not really exciting me

Notable Songzeile: I search for you on the other side Where the river runs clean and wide Up to my heart, the waters rise Up to my heart, the waters rise Das fängt stark an und lässt dann stark nach. Zu viel Pathos, zu viel Chor, zu viel AmerikaNewYorkNewJersey. Direkt nach dem Hören hätte ich es glaube ich noch härter bewertet, aber etwas besser als 2, aber noch keine 3.

Look, I get it. Ich habe alle Sympathie für Springsteen: macht seit 30 Jahren Musik, hat Bock, die alten Band wieder zusammen zu bringen, holt sich einen der AltRock Produzenten der 90er, um seine Songideen der letzten 10 Jahre aufzunehmen. Klingt dann auch ganz wie die 90er, und ganz vieles arrangieren sie direkt um es live in Stadien abzurocken. Der Boss ist so begeistert dass er das Album maximal lang hält und die Fans sind begeistert weil Springsteen ein richtiges amerikanisches Rock Album abliefert. Habe ich alle Sympathie für, good for him, good for everyone. Nur anhören muss ich mir das nicht.

Bin wirklich nicht uninteressiert was Springsteen angeht, aber von dem Album hab ich echt noch keinen Song gehört. Warum genau muss ich das hören bevor ich sterbe? Wenig Begeisterung dafür. Aber alles schön gemacht.

The flat production kills this for me. 4.5 star tunes in a 3 star prod package.

you know what you get with Bruce and this is more of the same

A few memorable singles, good message

I’ve said before that I prefer shorter albums in general. Despite that, the songs on The Rising are skillfully written, performed, and produced, which I find is typical of Springsteen’s catalog. There are some great tracks here, although nothing can compare to the earlier eras of Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and The River. That’s to be expected. The Rising has a more mature sound than those records; it makes sense because Springsteen and his band have been through a lot since those early years. Worth the listen, but I think I will stick to the Seventies for now. 4 stars

Not a bad record, pretty standard for Springsteen. Definite highlights and emotional moments that really stand out. I do feel like the album is way too long, really would've benefitted from some editing to refine the sound and song quality. Overall decent. Top tracks: Nothing Man, Empty Sky, The Rising

Quando passei a escutar esse álbum fiquei com uma expectativa enorme, pois já tem um álbum dele que gosto muito que espero que apareça aqui. E foi suprida! O tom é diferente pois quando passou da terceira música já tive a impressão de um storytelling, e quando pesquisei era realmente, meses antes, sobre o atentado de 11 de setembro, que logo após seu álbum foi lançado. Onde ele narra situações e sentimentos em suas diversas formas musicais, flertando com o country, folk, e uma lembrança de gospel, com letras inspiradoras que me lembraram também aquelas músicas de estádio. Bruce como uma graande referência de espírito americano tem esse tom mais crônico e sentimental de falar sobre os acontecimentos, sem ser maçante e difícil demais de entender. O álbum me deu um misto de calma meio apática e esperança, acho que um pouco do misto da época que foi feito e no contexto. Minhas favoritas foram “Into the Fire”, “Waitin’ On A Sunny Day”, “You’re Missing” e “Further On (Up the Road)”. Gostei, The Rising é um álbum emocionante cheio de significados e histórias, que olhando a fundo traz esperança em meio ao caos.

Only someone from New Jersey would believe this was going to heal us after 9/11

#916. This is the musical equivalent of wet mush. 2/5: waste of time

2.

Im not sure what it is about Bruce Springsteen that irritates me, but irritate me he does. For me he falls into the same category as Paul McCartney. I think it's the earnestness and embodiment of working class America that he portrays, in much the same way that Jimmy Barnes does to Australians. Sorry Bruce. At least there was less harmonica than the last album I was forced to endure.

I'm sorry I'm not a late-middle aged (American) man. It's just does not speak to me and I think there would be many more interesting albums to include if you cut some of the billion Springsteen albums from the list. This style of music incredibly tedious and boring, and by extension you are a boring person if you like it.

6/10

Lonesome Day - 4/5 Into the Fire - 3.5/5 Waitin' on a Sunny Day - 3.5/5 Nothing Man - 3/5 Countin' on a Miracle - 3.5/5 Empty Sky - 3.5/5 Worlds Apart - 3.5/5 Let's Be Friends (Skin to Skin) - 3/5 Further On (Up the Road) - 3/5 The Fuse - 3/5 Mary's Place - 3/5 You're Missing - 3.5/5 The Rising - 4/5 Paradise - 3/5 My City of Ruins - 3.5/5 This definitely sounds like it came out post-9/11. Unfortunately it also sounds like The Boss may have sold out a little and as a result the albums sounds pretty middle of the road. The length certainly doesn't help either. It could have been better maybe in a contemporary sense but I was not sentient enough to relate to that. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Lonesome Day, The Rising

i think hes overrated WHO SAID THAT

i admire bruce's politics due to the recent hard times but is anythign thats not born to run, born in the usa and nebraska nessessary for the list? probably no. 3/5

Lots of great songs but overall not as strong and specific as I wish it had been, though its a beautiful evocation of American grief at 9/11 and the Bruce gospel of renewal. Any of his first four albums goes farther and deeper into life just by singing about girls, cars, and the streets.

A little slow moving, but still a solid Bruce Springsteen album. There's something a bit meditative about this one for me.

Bruuuuuceeeeee, you rock my world dude. Such a consistent sound across this album and born to run (although I think I liked Born to Run more). The tunes are great, although some of the more filler-y songs I find get a bit formulaic, sing the song title for the chorus with some grandios chords, maybe some strings and brass in there too for extra flavor. Again not bad, just repetetive. However, sprinkled throughout his albums are these absolute flavor bombs that break away from his regular mold. Songs like Worlds Apart, The Rising, and Paradise. Without these gems, I think the album wouldn't be nearly as good. 8/10

Woof. I don’t really like Bruce Springsteen I guess. 2.25 Boring

sorry bruce not my fav….. 2.5

Bruce trying to fit in with the early 2000s. Doesn’t work for many reasons but isn’t bad.

Been a Bruce fan as long as I can remember, that being said I don't love late period Bruce. This is not bad and I probably need to spend some more time with his later stuff. 3.5 stars

If this is the Boss's answer to 9/11, it's very well. Even with some of the somber lyrics & imagery, it is very upbeat. Almost telling New Yorkers or Americans "It's ok." His voice in this is incredibly intelligible. I've had 2 other albums of Bruce & he does NOT sound like an Elvis impersonator singing with mouthful of marshmallows. I liked the Eastern sound in Worlds Apart. A bit too long though. Bonus Review: Streets Of Minneapolis. Springsteen's protest song for the deaths of Alex Pretti & Renee Good. I listened after all the noise of it has died down. It's pretty par for course for a protest song. A Throwback to 60s protest songs. Heard him channeling Dylan. Laid out the situation out fairly well but mostly focused on Pretti's story than Good's.

There are so good songs here but overall pretty boring and didn’t transcend me

Lots of the same. Okay to run in the background

Can’t hate Bruce

Was Bruce innit

Der typische Bruce Springsteen Sound

The Boss !!! Enough said! One of the Greats!

It flew by okay, but it was just plane average - it took a nosedive near the end too.

Not in my top three Bruce albums, but still excellent.

There's a reason Bruce is a legend. This album is not that reason. Shockingly bland with repetitive choruses and mediocre production. Not his finest hour. Not sure why it's on this list.

Yep ... sounds like just another Bruce Springsteen album ...

Eh

3.6

Always thought that Springsteen not unlike dylan did not fair well when trying to update their sound. Stripped back or rocking out is his forte. This is too much of a departure. The arrangements are weird and the lyrics are not his strongest. An experience not worthy of the subject

3/10 I’m generally not a particular fan of Bruce Springsteen’s voice. He often has this shout-singing delivery that grates at my ears, and I struggle with his music as a consequence. Luckily, he’s actually singing in a far more restrained manner on this record. Maybe his voice can’t cope with that style of singing any more, or perhaps it’s in deference to the theme of this album, which is seemingly focused on 9/11. Unfortunately the music itself is some of the most middle of the road dad rock you’re ever likely to be exposed to. There’s not much in the way of variation across any of the tracks really, and often the drummer will pick a very straight beat and just play it relentlessly, with the occasional basic drum fill to spice things up, for 5 minutes, which gets pretty tiresome. And often the rest of the band aren’t offered much in the way of musical range either. It’s not that this is terrible, but there’s also nothing particularly distinctive or engaging about it. I can’t really recall any melodic highlights or hooks, despite having listened through three times, and the whole thing has just sort of blended together in my mind into a sort of amorphous musical blob. The band are good enough, but they’re seemingly not asked to be much more than that. The production is too clean, if anything. It sounds like an expensive and slightly soulless album that’s completely of its time. And the songwriting is just ok, leaning towards being relentlessly dull. What we land on is an album that sounds one third U2, one third Nickelback and one third a random middle-aged beer festival band with a name like ‘Manual Transmission’. Oh, and it’s WAY TOO LONG. I could probably have tolerated this more at 40 minutes, but it’s nearly twice as long as that. I can only think that, because he’s The Boss, he can just kind of release whatever he wants. It’s like the musical equivalent of an author who has become such a big seller that their editors no longer have the power to actually edit their work, so they release ever expanding volumes in a series to the detriment of the quality. There’s nothing worse in art than being boring and this middle of the road album was dragged further and further down in my estimations the longer it dragged on. Lonesome Day - This is incredibly pedestrian and middle of the road. It just sounds like any other slice of radio rock from the late 90s/early 00s. I’m not typically a fan of Springsteen’s voice, but he’s actually more restrained here than some of his other work that I’m familiar with. That being said, he sounds awfully generic here. The strings are overdone and it lend themselves to this weird plodding, almost uplifting vibe. It’s not completely terrible, but it’s also incredibly bland. Into The Fire - He’s putting on a southern twang here, which is really odd. It’s another fairly pedestrian effort and it feels like the band are doing the bare minimum to keep the track ticking along with no level of flourish or spectacle. Even the (very occasional) drum fills are incredibly dull. The strings again feel like they’re there to try and add emotion but feel very performative rather than emotive. The vocals are incredibly repetitive and so, so obvious. Waitin' On A Sunny Day - Ok, so the rhythmic vibe of this album is ‘plodding’. This is another that sounds like a generic late 90s band that have made it big enough to get the money for a string section on their latest album, so dammit, they’re going to use one. It’s incredibly predictable, including the obvious and cringy key change two thirds of the way through. This is pretty awful. Nothing Man - This one’s a bit better, it’s more restrained and I quite like the production because there’s a bit more nuance to it. Some of the shimmering, saturated background tones are really nice. The strings are pleasant enough here too and don’t feel forced. It’s quite long and repetitive though and I’m not keen on the “do-do-do” bit. It’s also very dynamically and rhythmically flat. Countin' On A Miracle - More generic dad rock. As with much of the album so far, the strings are kind of overdone, it’s got a very, very straight rhythm to it and it sounds slickly produced but ultimately pretty uninteresting. The chorus is a balls to the wall cheese fest and feels very, very by the numbers. Meh. Empty Sky - Do you think he woke up to an empty sky? He didn’t mention it, so I wasn’t sure. More plodding, repetitive and all too straight rhythm. There’s just not much to this at all apart from making sure we know that the sky was empty. Bland and uninteresting. I get what he’s trying to do, but it just doesn’t connect with me in any way at all. Worlds Apart - This at least tries something a bit different, but it feels a like a very westernised view of what music from the Middle East actually sounds like, and there’s not very much depth or nuance to it. But at least it adds a different flavour to the track and a bit more of a swing to the groove. When the band kicks in, it’s more of that generic, rhythmically straight, middle of the road stuff again. And if you’re trying to make some kind of point with a song, having a “la-la-la” section feels like a massive cop-out. Not the worst track, but good lord is it too long. Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin) - Ooh, there’s actually a bit of feel to the groove here. It’s more fairly generic radio rock, but it’s got a bit more of a groove to it, which is nice. But it just keeps trundling along being nice enough, but fairly bland stuff. It seems Bruce is allergic to dynamic and rhythmic range as everything on this album picks a pace, intensity level and beat and just rolls with it for longer than is necessary. I mean, why on earth do nearly all of the songs need to be over 4 or 5 minutes in length? Further On (Up The Road) - If you told me this was Nickelback, I’d believe you. He might meet us further on up the road, but he’d definitely be positioned exactly in the middle of said road. Nearly all of his drum beats are just the same thing for 4-6 minutes and it makes it all sound very, very flat and monotonous. It’s an ok track for a pub band that you’d see performing at a beer festival, but it’s not very memorable or exciting. The Fuse - More rhythmically static stuff here and somehow, despite the drummer trying to give it a bit of pace, it drags a lot and the rest of the track feels like it’s a 45 being played at 33 rpm. This is just quite boring, and I don’t know how he feels like this hookless meandering deserves more than five and a half minutes of my time. Mary's Place - This is a bit folky and appears to be somewhat inspired by Sam Cooke’s excellent ‘Meet Me At Mary’s Place’. This, however, isn’t excellent. It’s a weird sort-of party anthem for people who always dance without moving their hips at all, probably with their arms half raised in a static position as they shuffle from foot to foot. It’s not very interesting, although at least he bothered to put a bit of dynamic range in here. I bet this one kills at the old folks home. It’s not the worst song on the album, but it’s very repetitive and about as safe as rock music gets. You're Missing - More plodding, more ok but not great melodies, more very flat rhythms. Do you know, I could almost imagine this being a good song if it was done with a bit more of an experimental production and development. Tom Waits could probably make this quite good with a bit of work, for example. But it’s so cleanly produced and sparsely developed that it just doesn’t grab me at all. And again, why over 5 minutes? The Rising - I mean, again, not terrible, but not very interesting either. It feels like the band are actually trying to give it a bit of welly here, but Bruce seems to not have enough lyrical ideas to not resort to fucking “la-la-las” again. Here’s a tip, Bruce: Write a 3 minute song that you can be arsed to write lyrics for rather than another 5 minute one with a bunch of half-arsed la-la-laing or do-do-doing. I think I wouldn’t dislike this as much as I do if it wasn’t an hour into a very samey album. Paradise - He can’t really summon the softness that he’s going for here, with his cod southern accent again. His tonal control is pretty weak when he’s trying to sing like this too. The rest of the track is so soft and edgeless that it works even less well in combination with this vocal. and, surprise, surprise, it’s way too long. Oh god, his vocal gets worse as it goes, it’s really bad. Again, there’s something in this with the subtle throbbing of the distorted tones, but he hasn’t actually found what that something is. My City Of Ruins - Ah, a bit of actual groove. It’s a shame he’s left the best song on the album more than 65 minutes in. But we do get some shout singing as it grows and he’s not exactly being very inspired with his lyrics in the chorus is he? There’s some lovely playing on this from both guitar and organ though. A nice way to end what has been quite an arduous experience.

Not a huge fan of Bruce Springfield. I do enjoy the softer side of this album and its country influences but over all not my daily listening vibe.

I like The Boss as much as the next guy but this album isn't essential

I know that by the time this came out Bruce was already massively famous and successful, which is good because this is some of the corniest and most repetitive music I think I've ever heard

One of my favorite albums of 2002 but man is it long.

Springsteen's best record of the 21st century, it evokes 9/11 while not becoming too patriotic. Great album from a master.

Love Bruce but this doesnt belong here. No substantial music came from 9/11, which has to be the reason for this record's inclusion. On first listen, i immediately thought "this had to be a free grammy printer" and sure enough he won a grammy for best rock album. "Nothing Man" is my pick from this album if you have to listen to one song from it, but it's not really worth your time imo. "Lets Be Friends" is hilarious as a concept, a song that sounds suspiciously inspired by Sugar Ray, on an album with a song about 9/11 on it. So many classic rock revival albums sounded like this in the 2000's, half of this stuff reminds me so much of AC/DC's Black Ice. That is to say, not very impactful. The Boss tries, but doesnt succeed in doing much of anything. At least it's not as tone-deaf as a bunch of celebrities' singing "Imagine" from their super fancy homes in response to the covid lockdown. 2/5

I love Springsteen but haven't heard this album. This could have been a surprise 5 based solely off of how good Countin' On A Miracle, You're Missing and Waitin' On A Sunny Day are. But the annoying mess that is Mary's Place is unfortunately in the way of that, knocking it down a star

Definitely too white and christian for my own taste, but it is good.

Dont like the idyllic sound of first couple songs. Some elements of instrumentals are kinda cool. It is poppy music. "Worlds apart" and "Lets be friends" are my favs for now.

This project gave me a different perspective on Bruce and E-Street. A big part might be me getting older but I really kind of dig this album. Its about working hard but having fun, life is good and bad and anything in between but thats life. It can get you down (thats okay) but you can also find simple happiness. He is also way more open and progressive in his lyrics then I realized. E-Street are just a fun band sensation with a little bit of everything making a really rocking sound.

It's okay. Instrumentation is good. Not super creative or his best work. Further Up the Road is pretty good.

We've got this moment now to live, then it's all just dust and dark. Such a great line. This was a pretty rockin' album. I love how much the E Street Band creates a multi-dimensional experience. Such great instrumentation and backing vocals. His lyrics are so good too. This might reach 5 status after a couple more listens, but on first pass, it's a solid 4. Biggest complaint is length, it could've been edited down a bit.

Eh

Why in lords name would I pick this up if I wanna listen to Bruce.

Sadly, I found this pretty mediocre, despite being a fan of the boss. I prefer him when he is more restrained, but this rocks out a bit too much. The Qawwali vocals on “Worlds Apart” (by Asif Ali Santoo Khan) are quite interesting though.

1.9 Ah shit ... Here we go again. Just when I was starting to feel a bit wistful that this was drawing to a close after crossing the 1,000 mark, the list throws another 72 minutes of Bruce fucking Springsteen at me. Satan exists, and he is a random number generator.

I can’t believe this would be anywhere near being on this list if it wasn’t a Bruce Springsteen album. It’s fine, but too long.

I’m sorry but nobody *must* hear 72 minutes of a man 25 year past his prime going through the motions, churning out watered-down cliché-filled versions of his old songs.

Not as good as some of his earlier stuff but still a highly enjoyable album

I like Bruce’s sounds.

“The Boss” is back again. Gracing me with his presence for a third time out of a total of 5 comes The Rising by Bruce Springsteen. This is album number 3/5 after previously rolling Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. The general consensus I’m seeing online and in a lot of these reviews about Bruce is that he fell off pretty spectacularly after the mid 80’s. Not necessarily a fall from grace, just wasn’t making all that culturally relevant or popular music anymore like he used to. I enjoyed his first 2 albums on the list well enough. A lot of the songs straight up rocked with an occasional lighter ballad here and there. Nothing I’ve heard so far has absolutely amazed me, but it’s all been good enough that I’d be happy to hear more of it. It’s Dad Rock. I enjoy Dad Rock, so it’s good enough for me. This album in particular was still alright, but man was every single song pretty bleak and depressing. Substantially more light songs than the previous albums, and it’s mostly filler that I don’t dislike but wouldn’t say is anything special or worth coming back to. That is, except for my 2 favorite songs on the album that I love equally, “Further On (Up the Road)” and “Worlds Apart” are freaking awesome. Both of those songs come out of nowhere and are up to the quality I expect of someone who identifies as The Boss. First time 2 of his songs have genuinely impressed me. If those songs didn’t exist, I may have just rated this album a 2. Probably not actually. It’s fine as a whole, I just wouldn’t return to anything besides those 2 songs, both of which are now going to be in my frequent rotation. I don’t know man, an entire hour and twelve minutes of depressing songs is a lot to ask of someone. Now to address the enormous elephant in the room. This is the 9/11 album. It’s not a coincidence that his albums on here jump from 1984 to 2002. 9/11 was a tragedy that had everyone reacting pretty similarly as far as music is concerned. Very patriotic, very sad and moody yet hopeful. There are a lot of songs that feel very reactionary, and I totally get it. This album revitalized his career pretty substantially, and with the context of the tragedy, I can see why it gets to be on the list. However, it’s my least favorite of the three I’ve heard so far. Not bad, but certainly dated by today’s standards. We’re going to need much more hope as a country if any of us want a better future nowadays… Sorry, that got a little dark, kinda like this album. Anyway, yeah. It’s alright. Not his best but far from terrible. A good product of its time but not something I’d come back to personally in the present.

7 / 10

It was an ok listen, the song Paradise is good, it sounds like Dire Straits

I like Bruce Springsteen a lot and this is an impressive album for anyone 30 years into their career. (Also, fair play to the Boss for including Middle Eastern influences on his 9/11 album.) Still, if you’ve heard his other albums on the list, you probably don’t need to hear this before you die.

Into the Fire fuckin STINKS. Is this just an album about Jesus? Countin’ on a Miracle, Empty Sky, Worlds Apart has gotta be top 5 worst three song runs I’ve ever heard. Followed up Let’s be Friends (Skin to Skin). This should be relegated to commercials where old people sit naked in separate bathtubs watching the sunset. I can’t wait for this to be over. Oh, it’s a 9/11 album? This sucks.

This is worse than 9/11.

Boring. Even for the genre… boring and cringe. Im gonna rise up and ask people to not listen to this. 1

Decent

4.5?

Bit boring late springsteen

Not a lot inspiring for me in this album.

These Springsteen albums are just such a slog fest man. Painfully white.

If I was a big Bruce Springsteen fan I would have bought this in 2002 and enjoyed it for a few months as the latest dispatch from the Boss. And then I’d never play it again. But I’m not a big Bruce Springsteen and I’m not interested in his thoughts from a quarter of a century ago. The production is bog standard Dad Rock circa 2002. There’s a moment he sounds like he might have heard a Beck tune of two but the oldtimey drums and saxomphone lets you know he wasn’t paying attention. It’s not Bruce’s best work. It does not find him doing something new. We don’t learn anything new about Bruce or his opinion on world events. We don’t need to hear this record!

Once again stating that this list should have no more than one album by an artist. Bruce Springsteen is a hack at the best of times, and this isn’t the best of times.

Yep!! I'm mostly familiar with older Bruce stuff (think Born to Run or 10th Avenue Freeze Out) so it was nice to hear a later album of his. Always a good start to the day with the Boss.

4/5

This was the most I've wanted to skip an album so far. I've listened to it before and it's not the worst thing ever, but man is it boring. At best the songs are repetitive and forgettable and at worst they're really annoying. I don't care if it's about 9/11, this album does not need to be here. Favorite track: Paradise

3+

I think this album is very over rated. It's the same theme song after song about lost love. It's a shadow of previously released albums with the E Street Band. Very disappointing.

I think I like Bruce, but this is not an interesting album.

This is much different from the material I'm used to hearing on the radio. I like some of his songs, but I wouldn't call myself a "fan" of his music. This album was a decent listen, especially considering it was released in the early 2000s after his prime. Kind of a long album, but Worlds Apart and the Rising were my fave songs from the album.

It was ok. Title track was clearly the best. It also might be my favorite Bruce song.

Fine? Forgettable? It washed over me and past me, leaving no mark or impression. It's like a ghost album.

Definitely not the best of Bruce. Its ok, a bit long, missing some real rock and alma !

I have grown to really like him through this list, but this album just doesn't resonate with me. Feels a bit too patriotic and overblown.

Classic mix of rock and ballads

I did not like Bruce Springsteen when I was a kid. Did not feel he was representing the possibilities for the American dream. Clearly he saw something different than I was seeing, was older and wiser and I was wrong. I stand corrected, AND stand more in line with his music and message as well. In fact, I really like and respect Bruce Springsteen more than I ever did. I don't habitually listen to this kind of folk, pop style but I won't deny it has deep and real meaning. Plus (fuck it) politically he is a hero just now so that means something to a lot of us who suffer under the regime he rails against.

I don't usually love Bruce Springsteen's music -- he has some bangers, but I don't love his style, especially his later music, but this album was a nice listen. I had it on in the background while working and found myself humming along. It still wasn't something I'm likely to listen to again, but it was nice enough to listen a second time all the way through. Three stars.

Some of it sounds like modern country. Some of it almost like CCM. Favorite was Further on Up the Road. Also loved Mary’s Place and My Cities in Ruin and the Rising. Springsteen can write songs that sound sincere where I feel like it wouldn’t work with other singers. Kinda rare to be moved emotionally by albums on this list so I feel like it’s gotta be a 5. Also listened back a couple times last week and it grew on me.

Kinda forgot about this album but i really like this one. Maybe an underrated gem, i really like a lot of these songs and it sounds great

I’m sorry I just don’t get it at all

Springsteen is one of my all time favorite artists; he's got my favorite discography of anyone in the 70s, and he's at least top 5 for the 80s. Depending on how I feel on the day I get Nebraska, three or four of the Springsteen albums on here are getting a 5. This one's got some interesting ideas to it (especially when he takes a little influence from Middle Eastern music), but it's overlong and just not his best work. Glad I didn't have to give him a 1 at least.

Fairly pleasant but nothing groundbreaking- once again seems to be on the list for his reputation only

I don’t really understand what this is doing on this list. No individual song is that bad (mostly) but compiled into an album like this just takes away from the efficacy of any of them.

Inoffensive, but that’s not really what I want when it comes to music.

I’m just going to say upfront, I feel one of the biases of this list, which already has a lack of albums from this century, is that of those precious few they seem to (like the Grammys) elevate late career albums from artists well past their artistic peak based on name alone. Like, are we saying Bruce Springsteen was releasing some of the best music of 2002? We shall see! Sorry Bruce! guess I picked the wrong day to make that statement. I’m only four songs in but surprisingly think this is great. Don’t know any of these songs but I am vibing with it. Production feels more timeless conpared to Born in the USA and also maybe more nuanced? As a whole, pretty good album

I generally like Bruce but he has a tendency to be mawkish and sentimental so doing an album in response to 9/11 just becomes like an unlistenable slog after a while. There are only so many inspirational narratives I can hear here before getting bored which might make me a bad person but oh well!

Tan hermoso de verdad!!!! Creo que jamás le había dedicado tanto tiempo a Bruce Springsteen y esto me dio mucha luz de por qué tanto pedo, bellísimo

"I don't believe in magic" - Christian man

late era bruce 😮‍💨

Pleasant, predictable. Generally uninspired songwriting.

Surprised by this album. It’s definitely commercial and polished but I found myself really enjoying a lot of the songs. A few skips but mostly just decent and robust music 3.8

i'm a springsteen fan but not a superfan. there are several of his albums that i love, but this is not one of them. there are definitely some classic tracks on here, but although it never gets truly dull, there are some tracks here i would probably have nixed. just as an entire album, it's not my favorite track listing. i still think ultimately it is a good album, just not one i come back to very often.

It took me days just to get through 3.5 songs because it was that jarring to listen to. Definitely not my style. “Into The Fire” took 5 minutes out of my life that i unfortunately cannot have back, it sounds like a fucking church song. At least the third song was a bit better but you best believe i will never relisten to this shit again.

A double album of plodding country tinged Springsteen isn't doing it for me

Agreed with other reviews, good album but not needed on the list

Bruce does “working class troubadour” better than almost anyone, even if the themes are somewhat formulaic. I don’t care for his “pop rock” tracks, though…catchy but a little dull. Overall, this isn’t as good as his earlier stuff. But there are moments worthy an artist of his stature.

Interesting to hear this in the context of 9/11. Gone are the lengthy lyrics of his normal storytelling; this is terse and to the point, often capturing a single emotion or message. As the title implies, this is prominently positive.

I’m happy to be listening to something more modern today! By more modern, I mean it still came out two years before I was born. Lonesome day starts off the album with a good vibe. It had a great pace to it and the instrumental break/guitar solo punctuated the track in a way I enjoyed. It also had such an uplifting feel to it which really added to my enjoyment. Moving forward in the album, into the fire was good, and Waitin on a sunny day just made me happy. Nothing Man gave me the ballad that always makes an album for me. The subtle horns were awesome! Countin on a miracle was exactly my thing. The way it swelled into the chorus, ugh, I loved it. Empty Sky was also so musically sound. There is a lot to like about this album. I appreciate Worlds Apart incorporating some different styles of music. It did go back to the style of the rest of the album, but I still liked those influences. Let’s be friends had a lot of jazz influences which I thought was cool. From here, the next track that stood out to me was Mary’s Place. I thought it was just pure fun! You’re missing was unfortunately kind of boring for me, but it’s also getting to that point in the album where I’m waiting for it to move on. The Rising brought back my attention a bit, but the country vocals weren’t my favourite. My city of ruins closed it nicely. 3.5/5 ⭐️ 54/1089

Strong. Too long

I love The Boss but why is this album here? See also: Music by Madonna. There's just no need for these late-career albums from known greats.

This feels so overly American it makes it impossible to really enjoy. Worlds Apart was the only song I could enjoy. Its not a bad album, the vibes are just off, I don't like his voice, the guitar tone is boring. I just couldn't get into it

Another Springsteen album... and for me it still doesn't sound very exciting. I don't know what it is with me and Springsteen, but it just doesn't click like it feels it does for the rest of the world. It's by no means bad, it just isn't very exciting. Bruce's signature powerful vocals are also missing for me on this record. In the end it was fine, but nothing special.

I got into Bruce Springsteen for real not by listening to his older stuff, but through the album that followed this one, The Seeger Sessions. I'm very thankful for that album, as it really opened my eyes to Pete Seeger's music and the American songbook. Weirdly, I had a similar experience with Hugh Laurie's Let Them Talk, so don't let the haters tell you there's no point in recording old music! This was the album that came before it, and honestly, it's nothing to write home about. I did enjoy hearing the original version of "Further On Up the Road." I still can't decide whether "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" is actually a good song or not. "The Rising" feels like a radio-friendly pop-rock pastiche. Weak 3.

A poignant reaction to 9/11 that focuses on relationships and getting through hard times.

I like Bruce Springsteen's sound, especially when he slows down. But a lot of his stuff sounds the same so I don't particularly like to listen to a full album in one sitting -- I get bored. Yet in smaller doses, I'm always to hear anything he does.

Rock, heartland rock.

Hea taustamuusika ja sellist laivi kuulaksin ma küll, aga siin ei ole midagi erilist. Bruce'i energia on lihtsat pakatav. 3.4/5

Loved one song, across the globe Kinda gospel?

Before: I don't know anything about this album as a whole. I'm sure there are going to be tracks I've heard but more than likely, this is not going to be the kind of music I like or have liked since it came out in 2002. I did have Born To Run as my 9th album from this challenge and that one I gave 5 stars. I'm anticipating a 3 for this one. Incidentally, this is my first repeat artist. I check and see he is on this list 5 times, that's way too many. During: I listened to a few times throughout the day. Most of the songs I tuned out or skipped through. After: I liked three songs a little: Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin), The Fuse, & You're Missing. I'll give it a 3.

Conflicted on 3 or 4 stars. Stacked up against Bruce's own discography it is clearly at the lower end. Also not very consistent, bur a couple of gems (you're missing, city in ruins, skin to skin and worlds apart) push it towards a 3.5 which I will round up

Very good both musically and lyrically. I'm enjoying listening to these albums from the Boss.

in direct comparison with born to run...not convinced

Springsteen in a blender. Nothing distinguishable or remarkable here

New Jersey

Fine album, don't have much thoughts. Though this is Bruce's post 9/11 album and you hear him trying to unite the country and especially New York. 3/5

I had to stop and think about this one. I love Bruce Springsteen, but he really draw a line after Devils and Dust for albums that I’ll give too much credit. At the time this album came out, I really didn’t have the love for The Boss that I do now. So I might have assumed this was in the same camp as Wrecking Ball. But I actually really liked it. I might have to extend my threshold.

Olen ollut Brucen fani lapsesta saakka, mutta näitä miehen "uusia" levyjä en ole kauheasti kuullut. Mutta The Rising oli mielestäni jopa yllättävän hyvä, vaikka pituutta onkin hieman liikaa. Kyllä tälle voi antaa varovaiset neljä tähteä.

the terrorists have truly won

This was my first Springsteen album, recommended by a friend as his "happy album". I adopted it similarly,, perhaps more as a hopeful album (although with songs as uplifting as the Rising and Mary's Place, I cent disagree). This was before I learned if the 9/11 context but the point stands. Songs like Worlds Apart and (Further on) Up the Road are great driving rock songs. Yes, maybe 3 or 4 songs could have been dropped but it has a lot of range. So an easy 5.

for some reason i just really cannot get into this

I'm not sure I've ever listened to a full Springsteen album before. Oh god that was boring. Bland, instantly forgettable, strum alongs. Some of the instrumentation behind it was nice, but also the amount of backing that was there took any edge off any of the parts at all. I can't recall a single interesting guitar part of any other part for that matter. I'm typing this as the organ solo plays in the last track, it's a nice solo, but the song is so ploddy it could easily be any gospel song from the last 50 years, but then it's not a gospel song, it's just him lamenting something or other. Of course it was a double album, the ones I find boring always are.

Wouldn't be on my list of things to ever listen to. Doesn't do much for me, uninspiring, but not a bad album by any means. Lonesome day, you're missing and the rising are the standouts for me.

Unknowingly watched Bruce Springsteen’s Super Bowl half time show 30 min before listening to this album. Got pretty hyped and might have influenced this rating. Overall, pretty slow songs, but I quite enjoyed it. I might be a sucker for Springsteen.

Generic AmeriRock veering into country. Bland.

Not his best work and just feels a bit OTT American. A poor Springsteen is still alright, so gets a low 3 from me

I like Bruce Springsteen, but this album isn't the best. There are some really good songs in this, but the rest is a bit average/can be a bore. Possibly being generous with my rating.

I made it about half way through track two before I had a look to see how much longer this album would be. Not terrible, but found this a chore to listen to.

Don't call it a comeback. Because it's not.

This was way too long for a Springsteen album passed his prime. Even if it was shorter it has no business being on any list of “must listens”.

I always dislike it whenever people call an artist 'past their prime' as soon as their most famous album has been released 10 years or more into the past. Incidentally, I also kind of dislike this album. Not because Bruce has lost his charm, but because of those far too poppy melodies, the overfull and cliché production, the lack of great melodies and his annoying country intonations. But hey, the E Street Band sounds pretty good, so there's that.

A safe pair of hands

Maybe my expectations are too high as the guy is a legend, but this just felt achingly average. If this wasn’t him, would people love it so much

Surprised to see this, given I wouldn't put it in Springsteen's best. These songs aren't good. It's nostalgia at a time I guess people needed it. Generic, crappily written songs. Sounds like songs you'd get from some local band that takes themselves way too seriously.

This was really long and sounded the same. I can imagine his earlier stuff was much better

A strong outing for Bruce. Probably a double album in old money but doesn’t feel overly long. 4

Not a fan

Good album just not for me

Not baaad but definitely not my jam either So I'll rate this album a 2/5

He se la pète too much with his garou voice

nothing man was very good

Not as bad as I expected, honestly nice on my ears, but I don't see myself coming back to this for any reason. I am curious about other Springsteen, though.

Day760 - after 9/11 was such a crazy time and bruce springsteen captured as well as anyone. lonesome day and the rising are two of my favorites

Nice but all the songs blended together... Like they were very much the same. Also i wonder if Springsteen has ever felt heartbreak like he sings about

The Boss' first album after 911 is almost too much of a good thing and would be too much by just about anyone else but they don't call him The Boss for nothing. Nothing flat out fails on The Rising but well over an hour of songs about resilience and hope starts fucking with you at around the 40-minute mark (and by you I of course mean I) but to Bruce Springsteen's credit there isn't a single second on The Rising that is anything less than sincere and at times achingly beautiful. Even the filler and there sure as hell is some filler on here never goes below that 3/5 mark. So, if you need some inspiration during this scary, uncertain & difficult time in our country's history grab a copy of The Rising along with a Woody Guthrie record, one by Pete Seeger and help abolish ICE because as terrifying as foreign terrorists are it's a lot more terrifying when it gets to the point that no matter how sheltered you are (I'm very sheltered) , how willfully in the dark you are (long have I avoided the news) you simply can't but see that in 2026 the most dangerous terrorists, our biggest threat are not from some exotic sounding country but from the next town over or even from next door.

I adore Bruce but this album was a flop of his for me. It sounded weirdly Christian and distinctly patriotic. His voice is great and the music is also good but it just didn’t land. I know we were all feeling things post 9/11 but that doesn’t mean we need an album about it

Like someone else said: Why is this album on this list? Bruce Springsteen has so many other classic albums. This is just a middle of the road album that also is too long. There are so many other artists not on the list that could get their chance. Best songs: Waiting On A Sunny Day,

Owned Just fabulous

Came in skeptical. Heard the first song - better than expected. Then every song after it sounded like the first song but not as good. Gave up after a half hour or so.

Once again I call bullshit on an album being "influential". Just because you wrote songs about 9/11 is not enough to make it influential! Boring.

So the first Springsteen album we get is one that no one likes, so I'm not in the minority. As I always say, I like everything about the guy except those damn songs. These ones are particularly hackneyed and tendentious, and we already have a Steve Earle.

It’s Bruce. It’s a great album and for a very good subject and reason… however do we really need this many albums from one artist on the 1001, surely there are 1001 different albums by different artists that warrant being on the list….

I thought it strange that we got a random 2002 album among the four other classic-period albums from Springsteen, but it made sense when I figured out that this was his post-9/11 mourning album. I'll admit that I went into the album with a sense of trepidation, even knowing how good Springsteen is, just because of how hokey and often disingenuous a lot of post-9/11 music was. Thankfully, Springsteen put those fears to bed - the instrumental palette consists of his E Street Band plus some added strings, which help layer on the melancholy when it's needed but also keep things light on other songs. I appreciate that Springsteen approaches the subject with respect but not the overwrought, almost fake-seeming melancholy that a lot of artists in this time period imbued their songs with. Further, exemplifying the process of societal recovery, Springsteen also includes some lighter fare, such as Mary's Place which is about celebrating those who are still with us - it's not all doom and gloom on here. Overall, Springsteen paints an authentic portrait of an American everyman coming to grips with the societal trauma dealt by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The album's 72 minutes did wear on me a bit, and his songwriting isn't quite as strong as in his *ahem* glory days, but The Boss never truly misses.

THIS WAS THE FIFTH AND FINAL SPRINGSTEEN ALBUM ON THE LIST!!! I’M FREEEE

It's a tough one to review. Musically, it very rarely left me impressed; conceptually, I'm very glad it exists! Bruce has always written from the perspective of everyday people, but here the stakes are much higher than usual. He's touching on a national tragedy directly, and with a subject this delicate, it's unimaginably hard to make the music sound genuine and meaningful -- which he actually succeeds at, in my opinion! In truth, the overly hopetimistic messaging was grating to me at first, but the more the album went on, the more I realized how silly my disdain for it was. An artist using their voice for a positive cause is about the most commendable thing they can do, even if the music itself doesn't click. The fact that this album came up the same day he dropped Streets of Minneapolis further cements that thought for me. These aren't songs I'm going to be bumping in the car, or even return to frequently myself, but I will never hate on anybody who does. The snippets Springsteen presents in his songs are always deeply human, and I have an incredible amount of respect for him as an artist, regardless of my personal enjoyment. Standouts: Worlds Apart • The Fuse • Mary's Place • You're Missing

I had no idea what to expect from this album and I tentatively assumed it would be a really sad example of someone past their prime trying to recapture the old magic in the wake of a national tragedy. VERY PLEASED to say that is not the case! The Boss still has the sauce here. He inhabits many different personas on this album and his storytelling is just as good as ever. He takes such a thoughtful, nuanced position when that was certainly not the thing to do at the time. While it does dip into cornball territory occasionally, it's really clear that he means what he says.

Against all odds, actually lowkey pretty great.

actually didn't hate this. actually kinda had fun. cheesy af and so American that I suddenly want to steal my neighbours olive oil, but boy does this guy know how to build energy 6.5 / 10 Best track/s: Worlds Apart, Into The Fire

Bruce's voice gets better with age; more controlled and coherent. Good album but lacks any real character or originality. It's like a sampler of generic Americana, trying to tick boxes for as many listeners as possible. It's almost like listening a seasoned wedding band at times; well polished, tight musicians, but not saying much.

Some just don't like Bruce, I am not 1 of them. Would classify myself as a fan of Bruce, and his whole career, not up to such and such album. This is, and know it's a cliche, but such a cathartic record. It just gives me a sense of renewal, of hope just through music. Wasn't going to listen today as heard many, many times but so glad i did, as forgot just how good it is. 5 Star

Nobody channels the national mood better than The Boss. America needed him after 9/11 and he delivered with an album that’s uplifting, honest and imperfect. Too many songs, but after a seven-year layoff, Bruce had a lot to say

Love this album. It has some fun, some heart and the classic Americana rock you expect from The Boss. I bought this album in 2002 saw Springsteen for the first time on this tour. This album builds as it goes along and holds up. I am glad it does. 4.5 but tip to 5 on nostalgia.

Doesn’t really hold up after 9/11. Too much melodramatic production, generic lyrics, not playing to Springsteen’s strengths

Liked this one in the morning before work

I've never been a big Springsteen guy but I actually liked this a lot better than most of his more famous stuff.

Average.. During the early 80s Bruce and the E-street band developed a certain sound and atmosphere build on top of great musicianship. No doubt about that. However, since then, not a lot of further development. I find that the albums up through the 90s and 00s, sound practically the same, and that is boring. This album is not an exception. Great sound and melodies, for sure, but all reminiscense of older stuff.

LOVED it!

Don't think I really like Springsteen's newer stuff. This album got old fast.

3/5 fav songs: worlds apart, the rising a good album overall, but there were defo some skips.

There’s Springsteen albums that deserve to be on this list. This is not one of them. Nothing wrong with this album but that’s the problem. It’s just another pop rock album, there is nothing special about about it, it’s bland.

If not a little straightforward and simple in both lyrics and sound at time, it’s probably Bruce’s best album since Born In The USA. As a Bruce fan I equate a lot of these songs to how they sound when heard live, which has helped them take on a bit more life. The title track is an incredible song, others like ‘Lonesome Day’, ‘Waiting On A Sunny Day’, ‘Mary’s Place’, and ‘My City of Ruins’ are quite good. Those songs stick out still. This album was important for the time which I imagine is why it finds itself on this list. The album is probably 5 songs too long.

I like Springsteen quite a lot. I love his 70s albums, which is up there with some of the best tracks ever produced. Now, I do have a small dislike for modern (i.e. post 9/11) country-ish music, which The Rising seems to be. Some songs, such as Mary's Place, do sound like the old Springsteen again, but this modern post-9/11 take on music is just not my thing. I do acknowledge that the music itself is fine, and undoubtedly very Springsteen-esque, but unlike his earlier albums, this just didn't really hit for me. 6 / 10.

Waitin’ on a sunny day

We had big plans to write and record an EP that day. We probably all had a few ideas ready going in, but the process required personal integrity - the bulk of the compositional work and recording would be done there and then. Precisely because the process, rather than the output, was important. Or, more honestly, the narrative of writing and recording in one day was the most important thing. What an achievement! What creativity! What art! We worked pretty quickly, running off a number of short, charming, no doubt very stupid songs. You and Paul went off to buy lunch, while I recorded something particularly shoddy, and returned with the news from the radio. We switched on the telly and watched the 9/11 catastrophe unfurl. For a bit anyway. We gave it our due attention. Registered shock, sadness, etc. Performed interest as a form of respect. Then we went on about our day. We almost finished the EP. I think we also took a break to watch a Mercury Prize preview on Channel 4. You have to realise when you have properly performed deference to the big emotive event, then move on with your life and get back to making art. That’s why I gave up at Mary’s Place. That was enough time spent on this big emotive event. Hopefully, some near edition of the 1001 book will recognise that enough deference has been given to the event that elevated this dull, late-career album by Bruce Springsteen and evaluate the record in itself. 1.5 Yesterday I happened to hear the recent single by The Divine Comedy ‘Achilles’. It contained the lines ‘I saw a man this morning/ He was turning 53/ And his pampered mind was turning/ To thoughts of mortality’ Not one of Neil Hannon’s best, it’s fair to say. Shite in fact. However, I heard this and thought ‘I bet Bruce Springsteen was about 53 when he made this album we got today’ and he was! Springsteen was the same age when he made The Rising as Neil Hannon was when he was making Rainy Sunday Afternoon. So I had a listen to the recent Divine Comedy album alongside this. On the face of it this seemed like a reasonable comparison. Both Springsteen and Hannon are proven songwriters at this point in their career, albeit decades past their best. The Rising was Bruce’s 12th studio album and he hadn’t released one in 6 1/2 years. Rainy Sunday Afternoon is The Divine Comedy’s 13th studio album (12th if you don’t count Regeneration - only joking, it’s ‘class’) and he hadn’t released one in 6 years and 3 months. Both released a Best Of in between. The more I thought about it the more this was the same album - possibly the same artist. Actually there was very little insight to be had. The stakes are entirely different. When Springsteen wrote and recorded in the wake of September 11th 2001 there was presumably the pressure of expectation; a nation’s worth of people wondering how an icon of American culture - virtually an American institution - was going to respond as an artist. I doubt there was much expectation at all, from anyone, regarding Neil Hannon’s response to America’s more recent political crises. Still Neil raises the eyebrow at the yanks on a few different tracks. ‘Mar-a-Lago by the Sea’, the most direct, isn’t great although it’s unexpectedly one of the more memorable things on the album. Neil is semi-retired and sounds it. He can sit in his parlour in Kildare (it’s bound to be a parlour) and knock out whatever he fancies - a wee song that suggests he’s read The Iliad, a wee song about a man who turns into a chair (‘The Man Who Turned into a Chair’) - and then him and a few mates, none of them drummers, will tart it all up in the baroque pop fashion and take a lovely trip off to Abbey Road (!) to put it all on tape. Poor Bruce, on the other hand, still had to show up for work at 53. The Boss couldn’t be farting around singing about chairs when the rubble of the Twin Towers was still smoking. His country needed him. I can’t imagine writing under such pressure. Neither can Neil - although around the time of the Good Friday Agreement he did dare to pen ‘Sunrise’, very nice if a little maudlin. Grew up in Inis Ceithleann too so he did. So Bruce and The Rising deserve a little understanding before he has even punched his time-card. I think he does reasonably well. Musically there is much Springsteen-by-numbers; mid-tempo guitar sawing, big witless snare hits - but truthfully when anything different appears (electronic drums, tabla) it’s squirmingly awkward. Springsteen keeps things simple and familiar in his melodies - solid, folky stuff that sounds instantly credible, even venerable, without being gripping in any way. The singles are catchy. Lyrically I can give him more credit. He was smart and capable enough to approach his recurring subject with caution. You wouldn’t call it oblique exactly, there’s a track called ‘Empty Sky’ and another ‘My City of Ruins’. Springsteen does mostly evade over-sentimentality though and always steers away from flag-waving, neatly folding away national loss and national anger under the recurring veil of a missing partner. ‘I woke up this morning I could barely breathe Just an empty impression In the bed where you used to be I want a kiss from your lips I want an eye for an eye I woke up this morning To the empty sky’ Not bad. Not one of Springsteen’s best. None of them are. Still, Neil Hannon said somewhere a while back that as a songwriter gets older they get better at songcraft but lack the inspiration a young artist accesses so easily, or something like that. It’s more or less true of Springsteen on The Rising. These are well-judged in tone, for the most part; I think ‘Paradise’, a half-attempt at a sort of Suicide-Bomber ‘Nebraska’, was a mistake. But there is no real vitality anywhere on the album. Springsteen made his bones writing songs that wove life-or-death drama out of deciding to leave your hometown or deciding to stay. On The Rising - confronted with life and death drama as the core subject, he can only summon up a rather statesmanlike rigidity. Competent, responsible, unsexy. He invokes God, calls for ‘strength’ and ‘love’ and gently acknowledges vengeful anger. Craft. Nothing to Darkness on the Edge of Town. Still, probably half a point ahead of Neil Hannon at 53. I’d be interested to know what Springsteen would have written about if the stakes were lower. If he had decamped to a farm in Kildare, filling his down time rescuing pigs. And what Neil Hannon will write about if, when, he returns to confront the political tempests of his original home. Even though he has lived in the South for a lot of years I think he would probably still be credible and energising enough for enough young Protestants in Fermanagh and Omagh to flip a UUP Council seat for the Alliance Party. Mon Neil. Make a difference. Rainy Sunday Afternoon 1.5/5 The Rising 2/5 PS Rainy Sunday Afternoon gets a 2 from me.

Very dad rock sounding but was surprised how good I was for being released later in his career

not my style

It's too Americana for my liking. And it sounds heavily recycled, when Waitin On A Sunny Day Started I thought Hungry Hop was about to play. There are a couple interesting tunes, some world music and ballads, that aren't the typical Boss cuts I have heard. Overall the album just exists, it's not bad and it's not good. Bruce fans will like this, but I would not seek it out for a relisten.

I really want to like Bruce Springsteen - he seems so cool! His band seems conceptually great! But these songs are so plain and repetitive.

So this one is tough. First off, I respect the heck out of Springsteen and I really like much of his music. And there a couple of great songs here.. The Rising, Paradise (to name a couple). But otherwise, it’s a bit unremarkable. Understand that this record marked a hit of a return for Springsteen, when compared with the rest of his body of work, this doesn’t seem like a “1001 Must Listen” album. Again, it’s good… all Springsteen is good. But this is just mostly unremarkable.

Not up there with early Springsteen like Born to Run and Nebraska but leagues ahead of some of the 90’s stuff. Great album. Throughly enjoyed it.

Its very not my thing. And the fact that its 1 hour and 15 minutes doesnt help it mutch. Its a style thats not for me. Almost tempted to give it a 1.

Nah

Not my thing.

Not at all what im in it for. Im not the biggest or really any kind of Bruce Springsteen fan. I did like Nebraska quite a bit but nothing else has ever caught my eye. And thats where I thought this was going originally. Nebraska with kinda heavy handed production, like hes trying to remake that with the lens of his success. But its not that. It feels like its trying to be everything. Just a scattershot blast of everything all at once. There are like drum machines here. Some like traditional drums from somewhere. I dont even know. Its alot of shit thrown at the wall and none of it sticks for me. And the nature of it being everything makes for a very not cohesive experience. I was making confused face after confused face while this was on. I just dont get it. Im sure real spring heads love it but its not for me in the slightest. Maybe Nebraska is all that he has for me but im sure ill this site will try again with something else and maybe that will also surprise me. But not this

I’ve never been a big fan of Springsteen, but I do like some of his earlier work. However, post 9/11 Springsteen is not it. I understand he was inspired by the attacks and there is some earnestness to this that earns merit. Unfortunately, this album commits the worst sin, it is simply boring. It’s also a bit on the longer side.

Pass.

holy fucking boring

Not the usual Bruce type of music, but I did really like this one! I was expecting saxophones and drums but these songs were actually so different. Took me by surprise! Wouldn't say its his best album, but it doesn't deserve all the 1 and 2 star ratings 4 ⭐️

Don’t like good voice

Absolute cornball album.

Dull, formulaic and over long.

In my first listens to The Boss, I couldn't believe this was called singing. Then I did buy into the Americana and everyman that Springsteen ever strives to represent, as well as New Yorker editor David Remnick's deep fandom and profiles of Springsteen. Springsteen's father would come home drunk from the rug factory, and, if not the voice, the lyrics of 'Born to Run' captured all of that Kerouac-restless energy to hit the road. I respect the man's continuing evolution, liberal sentiments (he reflects on his success like a Tolstoy, still mindful of the working class and victims like Trayvon Martin, to whom he dedicated a song). He is the self-aware entertainer, going for 120% in his live performances to please his audiences, and still going in his 70s. All of that said, in this album, Springsteen seems to be in an early-middle stage--with those gospel elements coming in. The lyrics are less evocative than his other work. No standouts for me.

There were multiple times during Paradise that I thought it was a Sound of Silence cover; there were multiple other songs I liked too. Went back and forth between 3 and 4 here, but decided on a 4.

It's way better than Nebraska, and actually ok to listen to. Between 3 and 4, go down to three because I can't find a real banger on this album.

Not a fan of this musically but it's hard to enjoy patriotic art like this, now.

Wow, I was ready to totally bash this like the other 15 Springsteen albums to which we've been subjected. But this one really caught me off-guard. It wasn't boring, it didn't drone, there was some unexpected sonic and instrumentation choices, and honestly I really thought it was quite good. No higher than a 4, but a 3 undercuts how surprised I am at the quality of the album.

Why does Bruce Springsteen feel like the most generic rock musician in this album? This just felt like a real meh of an album.

Probably great but I'm not a fan of this one. I love most of his other stuff though.

Pretty average rock record. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing bad. Probably won’t ever listen again.

Solid, consistent album. Great accompaniment to sitting in the airport lounge I was in on the way to Tokyo.

honestly didn´t listen, but I JUST KNOW this isnt Springsteen´s best so I will listen to some of his other albums later

Bruce is the rock ‘n’ roll boss of big feelings. So I can see why songs like "Mary's Place" and the title track could put a lump in your throat whether 9/11 just happened or not. But remove the context and swap out the singer and I could've mistaken this one for a way more forgettable artist. (Uncle Kracker crossed my mind, but only for a second.)

I’m not saying it’s his fault, but I got my first migraine ever a few hours after listening to some of this.

Solid album all around. No disrespect to the Boss, because it is a good album in all respects, just not sure that it is required listening to listen to before you die.

Why is this on here? Too Christian rock for me and just overall very mid

I don't really want to call Bruce Springsteen's music junk food, even though at times it feels exactly like that. In a way, his music, especially in this era, feels far too easily digestible, going down smoothly, which means it doesn't really leave a memorable impact on me in the long term. But that's not a bad thing at all, just thought it was worth mentioning. And I do generally enjoy the experience despite this particular album feeling quite bloated. It's good music, and Springsteen's very expressive yet clean and husky voice paired against these lush and varied instrumentals and comforting melodies makes the whole thing feel very cohesive. Some of the highlights for me here were 'Lonesome Days', 'Mary's Place' (which reminded me a lot of 'Thunder Road', one of my favorite Springsteen songs), and the very dark and moody 'You're Missing', which sounds like every indie pop-rock group in the '2010s in a (generally) good way. No complaints from me on this one; it's just not the stickiest album on this list. But I liked it.

It’s a big achievement. He knew if he was going to make a record in response to 9/11 it couldn’t fall short of excellent. It’s a very serious album but it’s not solemn. It has moments to make you cry and moments to make you determined to be a better person. It’s tackling very sad issues and yet it’s far from a miserable listen. The Rising gets better with every listen. Springsteen had to deliver with this one and he was up to the task.

Painting by numbers. Perhaps it felt right at the time but not sure the world or indeed America really needed this. An odd inclusion anyway. Surely this is way down the list of Springsteen albums.

Loved some of this, thought quite a few tracks were a bit basic, and a few bordering on... worship music vibe? Not my fav, but it's still Springsteen, so it's a head and shoulders above half the contenders here.

Great album

I mean, Bruce is The Boss. But it’s his 12th album, it’s good but not his strongest. Doesnt need to be here.

I've never really got Springsteen at the best of times, so an album from past his height that threatens to veer into Christian rock on several occasions was never going to swing it for me. Sorry Bruce, I'm sure this has it's fans but it just did not connect with me in any way.

Another classic by Springsteen. A cathartic collection of songs dealing with grief, anger, hope.

I was surprised on how much I like this. Didn’t sound much like a Springsteen album and I mean that in a good way.

Hmm, I think I liked Springsteen's earlier work. This is still quite nice, but the tracks blend together and you just end up with a huge marathon of the same stuff.

He does describe a lot of days in this one. Sounds like more Springsteen but more polished by higher production. But by the same token that critical edge in the lyrics is gone. If anything these are very safe descriptions of Americana with musically not a lot to keep me hooked.

not my usual kind of listening, but i can respect it. i’m opening my mind to it cause it might be someone’s favorite album, so i have to think of them. waitin on a sunny day is my favorite song so far.

Bored. Bored. Bored. I’m not a fan of Springsteen’s early album, but at least they had some get-up. This was miserable.

Didn't like my previous Springsteen much, this might be different. Catchy but ultimately dull. Much better music came out in 2002, hopefully it shows up on the list. 3 Heard before? No Owned: No: 39/156 (25%) Will I get? No

I like the Boss and all of his other albums on this list are likely (or have already) scoring 5 but this one is a bit of a blip. Appreciate the context and all but 20 years down the road this feels very bland and earnest and could easily be Christian Rock if he slipped in a couple more Jesus references.

The Rising I bought this when it came out and I remember being really into it at the time, but I can’t have listened to it since then, although I still dig the title track It’s kind of odd thinking back then that people were very keen to hear his thoughts post 9/11, and obviously that colours the whole album. Although thankfully for the most part he manages to allude to it indirectly with the odd line and some of the music, rather than literally and specifically reference it. Into the Fire is probably the most direct song lyrically, but it manages to avoid too much heavy handedness and it is a moving song. Elsewhere it’s mainly standard later era Springsteen/E Street Band classic rock - earnest, heartfelt, country twingedanthemic, sweetly played, but lacking some of the edge and excitement of classic 70s and 80s Bruce, with a slightly anodyne production/sound and in many cases it can be hard to distinguish some of them. To be fair though, he does occasionally venture into more unusual avenues - World’s Apart’s middle eastern sound and Qawwali singers is excellent, whereas The Fuse’s attempt at smouldering sexiness with modern sampled beats feels very middle aged. And The Rising is great, it’s sense of urgency and Bruce-collectiveness clearly standing out against everything else. It’s also very long, with a CD bloat runtime of 72 mins, and you do question the need for many of the songs to exceed 5 or 6 minutes. And even if they do clock in around the 4 minute mark, the general tempo of everything means they feel longer. It's a solid elder statesman album, with some great tracks - Lonesome Day, Into the Fire, Empty Sky, Worlds Apart, The Rising, My City of Ruins - but also a lot of somewhat stolid, stodgy ‘classic’ rock. Not his best, and not necessarily essential, and a bit of a slog to get through, but still decent enough for a 3. 🌇🌇🌇 Playlist submission: The Rising

Bruce does have a way of writing tunes that have some muscle and grow on you, although not always titilating. On this album a fair few tracks feel rather generic, from 'Waitin' on a Sunny Day' to 'Countin' on a Miracle' (song titles with a missin' 'g' are clearly a signpost for genericism). And it's a rather protracted affair too which stunts enjoyment a little. However, on the lower-quality end of the spectrum, rarely is anything other than pleasantly listenable. The exceptions that prove the rule are the proto-Lighthouse Family schmaltz of 'Let's Be Friends', and 'Worlds Apart' with the terrible interpolation of eastern music and self-important feel of U2. A few tracks give me the vibe of his 90s stuff, like 'Streets of Philadelphia' and 'Secret Garden' which hit a sweet spot. 'Nothing Man' is up there with those - Bruce has a way of writing an affecting melody without being mawkish. The gentle swell of a pedal steel evoking some American geographical expanse or other, and a conversational, commanding and yet unemotional vocal delivered with grace. He can tap into the bittersweet like few can. A contemplative album that does carry quite a bit of emotional heft given the context, undermined at times by the tea and biscuits middle-aged rock. But at its best, it provides some beautifully bittersweet moments.

I just cant ignore how cheesy this sounds to my ear

Does he have a bad album? Well -I’m not fond of Nebraska.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t aware that Bruce Springsteen had any relevant albums after the 90’s. This one apparently won two Grammys too, but I’ve seen stranger winners I guess. It’s not a bad album by any means, in fact there was some unexpected variety in some of the tracks themselves, compared to the pure heartland-style rock I’m used to hearing from the Boss. It’s just that a lot of these songs feel bloated and thus a tad uninspired. Ultimately, this isn’t the version of the Boss that I grew to like.

If the exact same album had any other name than Bruce Springsteen on it, this mediocre pop rock wouldn't even be considered for the list. Favorite song: Mary's place.

This was ok. Sounded like Springsteen. I think Ed I liked the beginning a bit more than the rest.

Would I go to church regularly if Bruce Springsteen was the one giving the sermons? No. Would I go once or twice? Yeah, probably.

I get the background to this album but mannnnn I can not enjoy this. Every song is too long, the lyrics are ehhhh, idk I respect it but it's just not a good listen. For some reason the album really picks it up in like the last third. I know I complained about it a bunch in my review, but I think it's still a 6/10

Brucie, this isn’t your best. Feels like how a lot of albums late in artists’ careers feel… kind of mechanical in their songwriting and very appealing to the adult contemporary crowd.

If this didn’t have Bruce Springsteen attached to it it would be lumped in with imagine dragons

I think this is the Bruce album I've heard the most, or the one I'm familiar with. I've said it before, but my appreciation for his work only grows as I get older. Just a damn good songwriter, full stop. He's creative and loves to try different sounds (Worlds Apart) but doesnt betray his own message.

Thank God for 9/11!

3.5

My dad would love this

Vaikka Bruce-diggari oonkin, ei ollut tullut tätä levyä ikinä kokonaan kuunneltua. Nyt tein niin ja aika valjuhan tämä oli. Ei jäänyt oikeastaan mikään biisi mieleen. E Street Band soittaa kyllä komeasti. Brucen ääni kuullostaa tällä vanhan miehen laululta.

Noticeably weaker then any other bruce album I've heard. And it certainly doesn't help that it's by far the longest. I think lyrical this is done very well and I feel the emotions going on. The instrumentals were just ok. But yea the album length is brutal. If you cut about half the album you got something pretty great here. Which says everything about what's wrong here

I'm a big fan of some of Springsteen's albums, but just not feeling this one. It's pretty cheesy and lacks the raw punch which makes some of his stuff so damn good.

Good, but no songs that really had an impact.(Except for inspiring nostalgia for Rosalita-era stuff.)

It was fine. Bit old fashioned

When an artist is referred to as "a storyteller" I've always taken that to mean the lyrics are good but the music is probably a bit shit. Whilst the latter is true, its the immature "creepy Uncle Rock" lyrics which are outstandingly bad: "The fuse is burning Shut out the lights The fuse is burning Come on, let me do you right" The old bloke seems pretty proud of his wick too as he proclaims "The fuse is burning" a total of 15 times in the song 5-star wick, 2-star Dad-Rock

I really enjoyed this album. There were a couple of tracks that sounded pretty weird (almost out of place) in amongst the standard Springsteen fare - but on the whole it was well worth listening to.

Bruce Springsteen’s reflections after 9/11. Unlike many other artists at the time, Bruce’s “9/11” music isn’t propaganda, it is simply a reflection and response of that time. Not Bruce’s best album, but still an essential.

I mean, it’s alright. But an album you have to listen to? It’s little more than an unassuming collection of mediocre songs that goes on a bit.

I’m not the world’s biggest Springsteen hater or anything, he’s got a nice voice and the band is obviously good (if not a bit too slick, in a Steely Dan way). A person would just have to go soooo far down the list I of things I want to listen to before getting to “a whole album of Bruce Springsteen ruminating about 9/11.”

Um disco fácil de ouvir, apesar de seus 72 minutos de duração. Canções simples com arranjos simples e esta ausência de elaboração, aliada a longa duração faz com que se perca o interesse ao longo da audição. Satisfatório!

This album really almost killed me wanting to finish this list. I spent almost a month avoiding it. It is just so mediocre and long.

Bruce dabbles in mid songwriting

Quality was clearly there but none of the big standout tracks were are this album.

warm soulful (not like, Soul) lesser know. (At least to me) Springsteen tracks. Some duds.

2.5

I guess I'll have to use this as my 1,089th and final review of this project to defend this album - and I can't believe I actually have to defend it but here goes: While, yes this is Bruce's weaker album on the list looking at the context of where we were six months after 9/11. Also some years ago Springsteen replaced his long time collaborators and brothers in arms - the E-Street band with some 'lesser' musicians heretofore referred to as the B-Street band for his 'solo' career. Bruce fans wanted Clarence. They wanted to see Stevie pretend to blush during Bobby Jean. While the Twin Towers burned and Bruce watched, he was asked by a fan / stranger - 'What do you have to say about this? We need you to help us heal' and that's when he took his brothers who he came off of a reunion tour with into the studio and started laying down new tracks. Some of them were long standing songs he wrote and others addressed the tragedies of 9/11. Maybe it's because I'm too close to this album. I think of my family that barely escaped those towers, my Uncle's partner who did not. There are too many to name and I think of them still every time I hear this album. There are few songs that can bring a tear to my eye but this is the one. Yes, not his best but this album is worthy of this list because of how Bruce turned the tragedy into art, spoke of the times and shared his grief. 4/5

Not terrible but what in the suburban white american mom is this album. Did not feel a single emotion while listening, neither good nor bad.

My city in ruins is the stand out track on this album for me. That Wolitze Organ, so sexy Bruce’s voice so so overall didn’t hate it

looks like a graphic designer discovered blending modes. sounds like shit. it's so unspecial to listen to, it's insulting. and i like earlier bruce. I can't. 1

Good old BRRRUCE

Fits right into some 2000s pop rock, while other songs recycle a bit of his 80s output. It’s your typical Springsteen.

It was OK - not as good as his other stuff

Never used to like the boss, still don’t. Maybe should listen to earlier stuff but this was a little cheesy to me.

Forgettable

Sounds about Springsteen

This band seems to have a signature sound, and I really appreciate the addition of backing choir vocals

Almost 700 albums in the temptation is more to review the reviews that the actual album. I would suggest that the reviewer who claims 'The Boss' became a raging liberal after this album needs to really think about what they mean by "liberal" and then go back through Springsteen's albums very carefully, probably with a lyric website open :D Anyway this has got some great songs, some less so and a bit of a bland production in places. Maybe it would grow on me with more time.

Not another Springsteen please

Accidentally listened to the first half without my subwoofer plugged in. Turns out low end is important. I prefer Bruce throwing a million parties instead of just like one or two

I am a huge Springsteen fan. Seen him in concert many times. And I always liked darkness on the edge of town the best. But over the years this album is really grown on me. Now it’s really my favorite Springsteen album. I think just the messaging and the way he did it and the songs it’s just perfect.

BRUCE! ik vind hem gewoon een hele sterke stem hebben. Ook zn muziek is eigenlijk bijna altijd prima en dat is hier ook het geval. Geen irritaties, lekker rock album, maar is het net zo goed als zijn (tot nu toe) magnum opus Born In the USA? Dat is toch een beetje de vraag continue; is dit beter of net zo goed als Born in the USA? Nee dat niet, wel een lekker album en hoor ik soms ook wat invloeden uit andere genres dan simpele rock? Maar ff he, was een lekker prima rock album nou echt nodig op de lijst? Helemaal als het bijna 80 minuten duurt? Dat is een beetje overdreven toch? Ik heb me zo'n 50-60 minuten vermaakt en het laatste stuk nogal geirriteerd. He verdomme, het was echt best wel prima, maar het is gewoon te veel. Uiteindelijk ; 3 sterren, beetje makkelijk album om ook weer te vergeten. Als mensen me over een week vragen naar dit album denk ik niet echt dat ik er iets nuttigs over ga kunnen zeggen FAVO: Waiting on a sunny day, Empty sky

The Springsteen equivalent of "Freedom costs a buck o' five"

I've never gotten the hype for Springstein. Yes, some of his tunes sound big, but he also has a huge band. E street currently has 19 members (Perhaps this is why they call him the boss?), including three guitarists, so this is not surprising. Springstein also has a great voice. With all of this going on, I always expected that the resulting music would be powerful or interesting. Yet to me, his music has always seemed surprisingly boring. Maybe it is another case of over saturation during the 80s, IDK. Putting previous conceptions aside, The Rising is a perfectly good album. There are some interesting tracks, the use of the strings works on the ballads and fits the mood of the lyrics. I still enjoyed the more rocking bits more and think that this is where Springstein and the E Street band are most comfortable. On the downside, this album is simply too long and king of gets in the way of itself. The Rising was important, at least in the US, as the first rock album to address the 9/11 attacks. It also marked a comeback for Springstein and his band, springing him back into the spotlight after a long hiatus. For these reasons, I can certainly see why the album is on the list. A perfectly good album, but not one I'm likely to revisit.

It’s Bruce. It’s fine - maybe a bit too dad rock-y. Why is this even in the 1001 book? His 18th album. There’s so many other bands that could have used this spot

I thought this was pretty good, and I liked how it felt like "I love America" rather than "Everybody else is worse than America" Favorite track(s): "Further On (Up the Road)," "The Fuse"

I understand why others here don’t like it but I’m biased because I grew up with this CD in the car

Not for me

Decent - not his best but a great listen

Probably three songs too long, but overall a good listen from a definitely difficult period in US history.

The Boss seemingly wrote his own review of this album in the first track: “it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, yeah”

- ..... Bruce, you're better than this. How this record is included in this list I'll never understand especially considering the overall output of Bruce. The writing is so bad .... the production is SO FUCKING BIG .... just stop it, please. -

Much better record than I was expecting from a “later” Springsteen record, but I don’t think this one needs to be on the list

El Jefe es el Jefe, y la mayoría de tracks en este álbum son un trancazo. Muy disfrutable, tal vez un poco largo, pero en general Springsteen no tiene desperdicio.

One of my all time favorite albums, and honestly the one that got me obsessed with Bruce. An incredible album from start to finish, and probably the defining post 9/11 record. Highlights: "Lonesome Day", "You're Missing", "The Rising" and "My City of Ruins"

Know what, this was a decent one considering how overexposed to Springsteen I feel at this point. No stand out bangers, but still a competent album overall, if a bit long in the tooth.

I’m not listening to Bruce Springsteen.

I was bored to death with this one, sorry Bruce

Superb!!