Let's Rank Bruce Springsteen Albums!
Today, Bruce Springsteen releases his 21st studio album. It’s called Only The Strong Survive, and it’s a collection of 15 soul music covers. I am a life-long Springsteen fan — I started listening to him in 1984, when I was 7 years old — but I have a confession to make: I don’t really care about this record.
Nothing against Bruce making a covers album of old R&B tunes — the man has earned the right to do what he wants. And, after listening to Only The Strong Survive, I concede that the idea was executed about as well as I could have hoped or expected. Nevertheless, as a professional dispenser of musical opinions, I don’t have a whole lot to say about whether Bruce does justice to the Commodores’ “Nightshift” or the Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain.” I do, however, have a whole lot to say about Bruce’s overall body of work, and how this new album fits in that vaunted catalog.
That is why I am indulging in an exercise as old as Springsteen’s storied career: I am ranking Bruce Springsteen albums! (In case you missed it in 2020, his songs are ranked here.) Where does Only The Strong Survive slot? Is this record “strong” enough to “survive” being compared to his most beloved classics?
Let’s find out!
Read my full Springsteen list here.
ncG1vNJzZmirpJrDprrHspuepl6owqO%2F05qapGaTpLpwvI6lnK2rXaeur7eMm6mum5ViwLG%2ByKeerKyVmrturcubrKar