Lucky Town - Springsteen, Bruce (CD 1992)

Springsteen has never been an artist to stand pat on his past achievements. He has always been searching for a different way to make his music. A different approach to getting his message out. So, in 1992, Bruce decided to part with the E Street Band and try a different path with his next release. He has said that he wanted to get some different views on how to make music. He felt that he had was getting stagnant and needed some fresh input.

So what was the result? Not one, but two albums released on the same day! This one and the darker and more brooding album titled "Human Touch." I look at this two albums as his Ying and Yang. The upbeat side and the deeper and more moody side.

Lucky Town is the much more happy of the two albums. It is filled with songs of hope, of being the champion of a cause. It also deals with finding love and being happy. It is an album that I believe to be his signal of a rebirth of sorts. These are the reasons that I chose this album to review at this time. When you are down, this is one album that can give you that little perk needed to get back on track. It is one of those albums that tells you not to give up. All in all, it has some of his best lyrics. No, I do not rank it with his great work previous to this, but it is better than 99% of what you can find out there and still has that Springsteen touch.

"Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening
To the hours and minutes tickin' away
Yeah just sittin' around waitin' for my life to begin
While it was all just slippin' away
I'm tired of waitin' for tomorrow to come
Or that train to come roarin' 'round the bend
I got a new suit of clothes a pretty red rose
And a woman I can call my friend."

That is the first verse to the opening song "Better Days." This pretty much sets the tone for this whole album. Don't give up! Cause....

(verse)
"These are better days baby
Yeah there's better days shining through
These are better days baby
Better days with a girl like you!"

This guy knows how to tell it like it is! He can hit you right where you are going to feel it. All you have to do is listen. The message here is just stick to your guns..it will get better. Just listen to the final verse:

"Now a life of leisure and a pirate's treasure
Don't make much for tragedy
But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin
and can't stand the company
Every fool's got a reason for feelin' sorry for himself
And turning his heart to stone
Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and just a mile
out of hell
And I feel like I'm comin' home."

This is one of the strongest songs on the album. A great message that hits you hard, done to a heavy rock and roll backdrop. This is one of those songs that just stick with you. Powerful both musically and very dynamic lyrics. This is Springsteen at his best! A great dual guitar effect with the keyboards and bass providing an almost gospel feel to this tune. The background singers, Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell add an additional churchy quality. This is worth the price of admission alone.

From there Bruce does not let up. The title track "Lucky Town" is another rocker that has that earthy feel that only Springsteen can put into a song. Here again, Bruce sings about things getting better, this time by taking a trip to Lucky Town! (Atlantic City maybe?) This is another strong effort. Not as good as the opener but still, is there such a thing as bad Springsteen? This also has one of the greatest lines..."I had some victory that was just failure in deceit." I know I have had that feeling!!!

The next song, "Local Hero" is a look at small town life in a way that only Springsteen can capture. His unique perspective makes this song a fun, foot stompin' treat! This one I bet has some autobiographical pieces to it! Again he uses his great lyrical talent to twist a phrase that grabs hold of you and smacks you in the face. This time he tells about the dangers of being the "local hero": "First they made me the king then they made me pope...Then they brought the rope!" Some great music here! The harmonica on this song is magnificent. This one is another good tune. Still not his best...but a good song that was an absolute treat when I saw it done live!!

A really beautiful song with an equally beautiful message, "If I Should Fall Behind," This ballad is the closest thing to a perfect relationship put to music as I can find. Life doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes the most important things in life are the simple ones. As Bruce puts it:

"We said we'd walk together baby come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
If as we're walking a hand should slip free
I'll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me!"

Believe me...every time I hear this song, I think of my wife Lori!!

My favorite song on this album is the next one. A rip roaring rocker called "Leap of Faith." This song has me laughing every time I hear it!! You want good time rock and roll....this is it!!! Bruce's use of double meanings with his lyrics are never more evident than here. Each verse deals with a different type of "leap of faith."

The chorus is nothing but an anthem of going for it!!!!

"It takes a leap of faith to get things going
It takes a leap of faith you gotta show some guts
It takes a leap of faith to get things going
In your heart you must trust."

He could be talking about marriage or he could be talking about most anything in life! But when the blues hit ya...try putting this song on! As a side bar, done live, Bruce does a leap of faith into the audience! A great concert moment!!!

"The Big Muddy" is one song on here that seems out of place. It sounds like a low down cypress swamp boogie/blues tune. It really seems to bog down next to the upbeat tone of the rest of the album. Not a bad song in itself but hard to listen to in this context.

Another rocker that has a message I believe is delivered right straight to his wife Patti is the song "Living Proof". Again a down on his luck guy who finds a better way. The common denominator in all the songs on here is that, the better way he sings of, is the result of finding the love of your life! What a difference the right woman can make in a guy's life!!

"You shot through my anger and rage
To show me my prison was just an open cage
There were no keys no guards
Just one frightened man and some old shadows for bars!"

This one almost made number one on this album as far as I am concerned...almost! A great tune.

The second ballad on here, "Book of Dreams" is another ode to his soulmate, Patti. This song is one of those tunes that a guy wishes he could pen for his woman. A love song to end all love songs!! It is apt that in the liner notes, under the lyrics of this song is a picture of the two of them! Women...listen to him talk about his wife here!!

From there Bruce fires it up again with another dose of southern boogie called, "Souls of The Departed." This song has that wall of sound using electric guitars that Bruce has perfected so well. It gives this song a strange eerie feeling. Not bad at all but this one does fit better with the previous song "The Big Muddy." It is a bit of a downer lyrically too! Still a good tune that has some wonderful guitar and harmonica effects by Bruce!

The last song on this album is an acoustic tune that could have just as easily come off his Nebraska album. "My Beautiful Reward" tells about looking for what we want in life. It also tells us not to give up or we might never find our ...beautiful reward! This is a fit way to end this album. As in the start, he is telling us to keep looking and trying. Don't ever give up!

I thought for quite some time about what my next review should be. I needed to find the album that best described how I was feeling. Well, this is it! I will not give up and let the reviews roll!!

You will be mighty surprised with this album. This one is a departure from the E Street Band material that is for sure, but still I think it is one of his most personal albums also! He pours his heart out more here that any other work that I can think of. That may be the reason for doing this one on his own too! It might not be something that he could share with a band that has been so close to him for so many years!!