Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad

Directing his artistic vision outward again, Bruce Springsteen returns to the role of social critic. The album and its 12 songs will inevitably draw comparisons to the 1982 masterpiece Nebraska, an accidental collection of lost characters, bad luck, and meanness. Recalling that album, Springsteen said in 1990 that he hadn’t thought of its political implications until he read about them in the newspaper. This time, Springsteen thought ahead.

Like its predecessor, Tom Joad is full of characters caught in no-win situations. Desperate, searching, and steeped in settings on the west coast, they inhabit cardboard boxes underneath overpasses; they ride the rails and pick fruit; they prostitute and use; the struggle to stay clean. On the best of these, Springsteen takes liberties with obvious situations and complements them with complex twists. “Galveston Bay” embraces-guess what?-a returning Vietnam veteran who operates a shrimp boat in Texas. The catch? The vet is also Vietnamese. But the song succeeds more because Springsteen makes so much happen in a short period. “Sinaloa Cowboys” traces the journey of two Mexican brothers from the orchards to the drug making den, ending only when one buries the other. It’s not fun stuff, but it works.

There are times, however, where the songs fall short of the mark. “Straight Time” is a good try, but ultimately comes off as half-baked. “Highway 29” is so bad that Springsteen sings “you know the rest” (perhaps that it shouldn’t have been on the record?). “Youngstown” is a ready-made, but nonetheless recalls Springsteen’s earlier blue-collar efforts. The album’s closer, “My Best Was Never Good Enough,” is a good idea that gets lost in silly lyrics.

Musically, Springsteen draws on acoustic guitar, keyboards, and percussion. While he breaks no new ground here, the sounds match the subject matter. On “Sinaloa Cowboys,” Springsteen sings over a gentle flamenco strum, lending the song a subtle, authentic flavor. But more often, the basic chord structures and simple melodies take a back seat to the lyrics. This underscores further why Springsteen needed exceptionally strong subject matter and lyrics this time out.

This isn’t Nebraska, but it’s a start back in the right direction.