"I wrote a lot of this music after those shows, when I'd go back to my hotel room," Springsteen has said. "I still had my voice, because I hadn't sung over a rock band all night. So I'd go home and make up my stories."
The acoustic songs he'd accumulated were then set aside for an E Street Band reunion tour in 1999 and further delayed when the intervention of Osama Bin Laden compelled him to respond with 2002's The Rising. It's a history that gives Devils & Dust something of a time-warp feel, with many of the dozen compositions harking back to a pre-9/11 America and Springsteen singing about mothers and fathers, sons and lovers in a world in which global apocalypse takes a back seat to the everyman themes of faith, trust, dreams, hopes and fears - both lost and found.
"All the songs are about people whose souls are in danger or at risk. They all have something eating at them. Some come through successfully and some come to a tragic end," Springsteen says of the album's dozen compositions in a 30 minute DVD film that will accompany all copies of the CD. The film, directed by Danny Clinch and shot in New Jersey in February 2005, also features full-length solo acoustic performances of six of the songs on the album – “Devils & Dust”, “Reno”, “Long Time Comin'”, “All I'm Thinkin' About” and “Matamaros Banks”.
The album was recorded at Thrill Hill studios in Los Angeles and at home in New Jersey and produced by Brendan O'Brien, who also helmed The Rising. Musicians on the album include O'Brien on bass, Steve Jordan on drums and recent E Street Band addition Soozie Tyrell on fiddle, with further orchestration by the Nashville String Machine.
Springsteen will play London's Albert Hall on May 27/28, promising a solo set that will will focus on the new album, along with material from Nebraska and The Ghost Of Tom Joad, plus stripped-down takes on songs from The Rising.
Here, Uncut.co.uk exclusively offers a track-by-track preview of the album.
Devils & Dust
Starts of with just an acoustic guitar and gradually builds with the introduction of piano and strings into something more epic, while the line 'we've got God on our side' and a wheezing harmonica create a Dylanesque atmosphere. One of the few post 9/11 songs on the album, according to Springsteen it was written from the perspective of an American solider in Iraq : "What if what you do to survive/kills the things you love?"
All The Way Home
The oldest song on the album, written by Springsteen 15 years ago for a 1991 Southside Johnny album. The closest thing to a rocker on the album, albeit one that shuffles rather than explodes, with a hedonistic lyric about picking up a girl in a bar to a soundtrack of "some old Stones' song the band is trashin'."
Reno
The controversial one that has resulted in the album carrying an 'adult content' sticker. A simple acoustic guitar augmented by gorgeous strings underpins a lyric about a visit to a prostitute with explicit references to anal and oral sex.
Long Time Comin'
A delicious country romp and an infectious love song about a pair of lovers expecting their first child : "Lay my hands across your belly and feel another one kickin' inside/I ain't gonna fuck it up this time."
Black Cowboys
Led by a plaintive piano part, one of the densest narrative songs Springsteen has every written - five wordy verses with no chorus about the rite-of-passage of one Rainey Williams, growing up in the ghetto but obsessed with watching old westerns on daytime TV.
Maria's Bed
A carnal lyric about a typical blue-collar Sprinsgteen hero ("Been in a barbed wire highway 40 days and nights/I ain't complain'n, that's my job and it suits me right") set to an infectious, freewhelin' country stomp, complete with mandolin, dobro and fiddle.
Silver Palomino
Springsteen exchanges four wheels for four legs on a romantic Tex-Mex-tinged border ballad about a boy's love for his horse - and so much more.
Jesus Was An Only Son
Swelling organ, piano and backing chorus with a subtle gospel feel and a biblical lyric with references to Calvary Hill, Nazareth and Gethsemane.
Leah
Written before or after 9/11? It could be either. Mexican-sounding trumpet, lovely backing vocals and an insistent rhythm support a lyric of idealistic aspiration: "I wanna build me a house on higher ground/I wanna find me a world where love's the only sound."
The Hitter
Perhaps the album's most powerful narrative. With extraordinary empathy Springsteen tells the tale of a crooked boxer who's tasted success and then fallen on bad times against a potent but simple acoustic guitar
accompaniment.
All I'm Thinkin' About
Even a roots-based Springsteen album wouldn't be complete without at least one song about automobiles. A celebratory love song with a lyric populated by flat bed Fords and black cars shinin' and which rides buoyantly over an exuberant tune rendered as a jug band stomp with joyous falsetto vocal.
Matamaros Banks
A moody lament for a dead lover with a tune that sounds like it was borrowed from an ancient old folk ballad closes the album on a sombre note.
West Yorkshire
Only heard the single, but it sounds superb. I don't want to jinx it, but Devils and Dust could be just another excellent Bruce record - who else has had such a good run of albums over the past 25 years? Apart from the first one and Lucky Town, they're practically all worth owning. It's his ability to put into words what people and whole nations are thinking that keeps him relevent.
Can he do it again? I'm not a gambler but I'll go with 'yes'.
Surrey
How on earth can the shows at the RAH sell out in 20 minutes? Only available on line from 9.00 am on Friday 22nd both shows were sold out by 9.20am. No doubt the real fans will be left to listen to 'Devils & Dust' at home whilst corporate rock takes the prime seats and the touts who will charge extortionate amounts at the door. Me? I'm off to see Dave Alvin at the Bordeline for £14 - and no hype.
warwick
A brilliant album!
I was worried that perhaps Bruce would not be able to live up to his last album (The Rising) with a solo project, but he's broken all expectations.
Devils & Dust hits the homeland of American music and goes straight for the throat. No Tom Joad here but many other different characters, all of which have their own stories to tell. Every song is about a person Bruce must have met in his walk through life, or at least read about somewhere, in the many books that he reads for his inspirations.
Devils & Dust has the feel of an acoustic album because of the sparse use of the instruments but the power is in the vocals, I've never heard Bruce sound so great, like a good whiskey its maturing with age. From the unusual higher pitched vocals on Maria's Bed, Long time comin' & All I'm thinkin' about, Bruce isn't afraid to try new styles.
And who was it who once said Bruce shouldn't sing happy songs!!
Matamoras banks does sound a bit like a my beautiful reward outtake and The Hitter was played live way back in '96, but overall this is a fresh and new sound from Bruce that can't be heard on any other of his albums. If Nebraska is his piece de resistance then Devils & Dust must be his catalyst.
Most of these new songs will be played to a sell-out crowd at the Royal Albert Hall on the 27th & 28th May, it's going to be an interesting two night stand. so get those American boots & cowboy hats on, cause Bruce is a comin'
This album warrants a ten out of ten rating.
Queensland
Just listening to the CD/have watched the bonus DVD with my nephews/brother-in-law, after getting my wife up out of our Sunday bed to pick up the first copies in Brisbane, and I have to say it is classic springsteen! More polished and worked up than Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, but in that vein. Springsteen is adding to a body of work that will be looked back in awe in 20 years time, with his consistancy in producing such fine works...
The inclusion of the DVD is a bonus, because one gets the stripped back version of five of the songs with just Bruce and his instruments (guitar and harmonica, and his voice) as well as Bruce's comments on his songwriting approach.
Still too early to pick a favourite track just yet, but Black Cowboys for its emotion and the descriptive powers of the words does it for me. So soon after his Rising tour, I'm not sure if Bruce will tour on the strength of this CD, but if he does in smaller intimate concerts (as he did following Tom Joad, I will be the first to line up for tickets in this neck of the woods.
Bruce is still the one, still the Boss... I highly recommend this release to all Uncut readers. Four Stars.
London
The two agents selling tickets sold out pretty sharpish, but the Royal Albert Hall box-office didn't sell out until about 1 or so. After spending the morning trying to get through, I got hold of two - albeit restricted view - tickets at around 12:30. Not ideal, but given that people are selling them on ebay for £450 a pop, I'm not complaining.
The new album looks and sounds promising, and if Nebraska and Ghost of Tom Joad are anything to go by, its certainly a format that suits him. I was quite disappointed by the rising, so am hoping to see him back to his sublime storytelling best.
Herts
When I heard Bruce was venturing on another Solo album I also had in mind that it would be like the Ghost Of Tom Joad Album. But then again, when does Bruce ever do two albums exactly the same??
He never does, he always churns out new styles and never fails to surprise us with his continuing art of songwriting and performances that I have yet to see any other performer live up to.
As soon as I heard the Devils and Dust I loved it. With it's moody feel and superb lyrics I knew we were in for a treat with the new album.
I am very pleased he has decided to be a bit more upbeat on this album and at his new shows too. From what I have heard so far, the album tracks are performed a little different on his tour, but at the same time they are just as powerful with his wonderful vocals.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing him in London as I suspect all the fans are. We are in for a treat...
10/10 from me!!
Milan
I think I was about the fourth person in the world to buy the new album as it went on sale at midnight on April 20 here in Italy and it felt something special to be the only English/Northern Irish speaking person in the store (which thankfully had Uncut on sale) but what was just as special was how much the locals loved the Boss and how knowledgeable they were.
Listening to 'Devils and Dust' got me to thinking that the strength of the man is that he cuts across all language barriers to produce a 'feeling' that each one of us can relate to ... I will be at the concerts in Rome and Milan in June so I would suggest to any Bruce fans out there who can't get to the UK/Ireland gigs to get over and join the Boss family ... you'll get a warm welcome!
London
Im the same ive only heard the single but i think its great and hope D&D will be just as good!!
it looks as though hes been busy lately, as i just saw this vid on youtube of him with jesse malin, who is well worth checking out if you dont know him!!
http://www.youtube.com/v/S5KVwj6si3g
check it out!!!
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