Wait, I didn’t rate this? I was never a Springsteen fan and I’m still somewhat of a skeptic (give me Petty every day), but this is the album that made me accept that he’s pretty good, actually. The fact that he was able to go to such a dark and intentionally unprofessional-sounding release during his height of popularity shows range, and his collection of murder ballad-esq ballads are worth repeat listens. I can take or leave his voice, but I get why he’s the Boss now. B+
I really thought I hated Bruce Springsteen, but I was surprised by this album. I guess when it's just him and an acoustic guitar, I'm into it. I don't really *love* any "guy and acoustic guitar" thing, but I like this about as much as I can like that. 3.5/5
I started out kind of bored by this album, but ended up liking it a lot by the end. I'm more familiar with the Hank III cover of Atlantic City and the Johnny Cash cover of Highway Patrolman, so it was cool hearing the originals here. Johnny 99 had a super cool vibe. I think this is an album that I'll keep enjoying more on subsequent listens.