Bruce Springsteen - 'Magic' (Columbia) Released 01/10/07

From the opening guitar lines oozing goosebump inducing goodness whilst Springsteen takes a breath and unleashes his trademark drawl, one is reminded as to how good music can be, once again. Strong words, yes, but seriously, they don’t call him “The Boss” for nothing. A strong opening track such as ‘Radio Nowhere’ is a sure fire way to reaffirm Springsteen’s undeniable talent for making brilliant music and keeping his finger firmly on the pulse of these times that call for a talent to show people how it’s done. A reminiscent sound but with a distinctly new and razor sharp aesthetic – much like the opening 10 seconds suggest - ‘Magic’ is off to a good start and The Boss is back.

Being his first album with the beloved E Street Band since ‘The Rising’ back in 2002, ‘Magic’ was to be an album greatly anticipated by fans months before it was even confirmed by the man himself that it was being recorded and furthermore that The E Street Band would be joining in on recording duties. Rumours were eventually quelled, when Springsteen announced that all members were to return and Brendan O’Brien would produce. A little over a year later and the result one is left with is better than any fan could hope for. On form from the get go, ‘Magic’ is littered with classics, pure genius moments, toe tappers and scathing commentaries disguised as beautiful ballads.

Whether it be old fans or those recently acquainted with the works of Bruce Springsteen, there is something for both types of listeners - neither could be unimpressed with the storytelling of ‘Gypsy Biker’ – tense in it’s musical approach letting loose at the most crucial of moments in typical Springsteen fashion, creating a country rock ballad with a dash of gospel, nor could anyone fault The Boss in treading familiar ground and captivating audiences with the sinister title track ‘Magic’ telling tales of razor blade threats and a man fighting for freedom. It’s all here, his heartfelt tales of a working man down on his luck struggling to deal with love lost (‘Girls In Their Summer Clothes’) and stories of past lives coming back to haunt (‘Your Own Worst Enemy’). Highlights fly in from all angles as not a dull track can be heard, most notably in the form of ‘Last To Die’ – a politically driven memorial of those lost in the war on Iraq and a plea for sanity to come and save us from those who would send those to their deaths “for a mistake” with its lush orchestration and accusing lyrics such as “we don’t measure the blood we’ve drawn anymore/we just stack the bodies at the door”.

Current single ‘Long Walk Home’ will capture and break hearts as Steve Van Zandt on guitars and Carence Clemons on saxophone shine whilst they back each other up creating that familiar and uplifting E Street Band sonic brilliance and help Springsteen create one of his best tracks to date, whilst closing track ‘Devil’s Arcade’ reaffirms The Boss’ anti war stance and his ability to intertwine love stories, tales of fighting in counties far away and a mans need of hope.

‘Magic’ is a fine album. Incomparable to his previous works as all have their own direction, feel and history behind them, but an album that stands out from his back catalogue as one of his more accessible and freely appreciated works that would suggest The Boss has no desire to put his guitar away nor finish influencing music lovers and musicians of today as a fresh and younger sounding direction showcases how Springsteen can never be pigeonholed as a band for the older generation.