\n<\/p>\n
Ok\u2026. let\u2019s get back into it. Western Stars<\/em> is still the odd one in the Springsteen back catalogue \u2013 while it may well be that some of the albums on Tracks II: The Lost Albums<\/em> will fill in some of the steps that Bruce to get here, it sits apart at the moment; neither the acoustic, bare-bones approach of his other \u2018solo\u2019 albums or as \u2018rock\u2019 as his other work with full bands. Much like We Shall Overcome..<\/em> this is vey much a one-off detour*. <\/p>\n Where this album sits in my own ranking of Springsteen\u2019s albums will vary depending on the mood I\u2019m in: with the passing of time this album\u2019s single-sonic style has meant that it\u2019s not one I reach for typically and if you\u2019re not up for that sound, it\u2019s a skip as very little on here that varies from the \u2018Bruce goes big, full-orchestra Glen Campbell \/ Burt Bacharach \/ Jimmy Webb\u2019. At times the stylistic choice with its over-emphasis on twang and orchestral pop feels forced (much like a lot that Ron Aniello \u2018brings\u2019 to Springsteen\u2019s music of late) and weighs downs songs that, in another setting, might have bounced freer without the need to add them on.<\/p>\n There are, however, a bevvy of solid Springsteen songs on Western Stars <\/em>that are not only strong enough to withstand the production treatment but flourish in their arrangements and Bruce\u2019s sonic departure. \u2018Sleepy Joe\u2019s Cafe\u2019, for example, wouldn\u2019t work in any other context yet here is a great addition. Songs like \u2018Western Stars,\u2019 \u2018Chasin\u2019 Wild Horses,\u2019 \u2018Hello Sunshine\u2019, \u2018There Goes My Miracle\u2019 and closing \u2018Moonlight Motel\u2019 feel like Springsteen had got a very good core of songs for this project.<\/p>\n Sadly, like a lot of his later-career albums at this point, there weren\u2019t quite enough and so we get some reheated tunes \u2013 we know now that \u2018Somewhere North of Nashville\u2019 has been repurposed from a mid-\u201990s project \u2013 and heavy production to polish up the lesser tracks. <\/p>\n Take, for example:<\/p>\n Least: Hitch Hikin\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n