I have a weird relationship with Bruce Springsteen. Everytime I see a video of him performing my jaw drops and I can't stop watching, but the music doesn't have the same spell over me. But I can't even say that. More than a few of his songs get lodged in my soul the instant I hear them, but rarely is there an album that doesn't bore me by the end (Nebraska being the exception along with most of The River) Part of what makes him great is that he can make romance out of depression, but it can be cheesy. The Promise has those great moments and those cheesy moments. It's a collection of songs written and partially recorded in the years between the blow-up success of Born to Run and the hard depression of Darkness on the Edge of Town. In those three years there were legal battles with record labels and a lot of pressure, and Springsteen was struggling to stay true to himself. Thus, although he wrote a lot (a LOT) of material in that time, he was ruthless with what he selected for the next album. These are the songs he skipped, and they definitely show the transitional years well. Darkness has never been an album I've been crazy about (except for "Badlands"), and a lot of this material hits home better, but there are only a few really A-grade tracks. "Because the Night"'s strong battle cry of love could fit right in with Born to Run. That's really the only track I love on disc one, which is mostly inundated with a bawling yell which I never felt was a strong suit for Bruce's voice.
Disc two opens up more. It's fun. It's rock and roll. The softer tracks thankfully croon rather than wail. And it's stronger for it. It's the kind of album I could listen to. Unfortunately disc one often makes me skip the whole album. The gem, the power, that keeps me coming back however is "Fire." It's Springsteen's Elvis tribute and it's everything an Elvis tribute should be: Sexy and Swaggering. I just can't stop listening to it. The bass riff alone is a piece of gold...and it's the same thing the whole song. And Big C's sax solo is gritty, not fluffy lameness. It's one of Bruce's best. The Pointer Sister's did a great version of this song, which I love, but this is a torn out and refit paired-down version which adds a mystery to it.
Disc one bores me and I'd give a 4 or 5, while disc two has sits comfortably up in the 6 range and carries the the rest. Who knows maybe with time the other songs will find they're place in my heart, but so far, disc two has all the Fire.
[6/10]
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