Album reviews: Bruce Springsteen and The Grip Weeds
By Jon Dawson
Columnist
New album: High Hopes
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Label: Columbia
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Bruce Springsteen finds himself in a dilemma shared by many aging rock musicians. If he tries to do something different, longtime fans will complain that he's not singing about nights on the Jersey shore anymore. On the other hand, if he cranks out a carbon copy of "Spirit In The Night" he'll get slammed for pandering to his audience.
When an artist reaches Springsteen's stature, it's incredibly difficult to just follow the muse no matter what the consequences. After a few decades of slogging it out on the road and in the studio, no one should fault the guy for wanting to hold on to what he and the E Street Band worked so hard to acquire. That being said, the rivers of praise being heaped on the new "High Hopes" album borders on the bizarre.
Springsteen has notched up a few cool points by enlisting Rage Agaisnt The Machine/Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello to play on several of the songs on "High Hopes", but this is not really a new album. This collection consists of reworked originals, cover tunes and material previously issued only on live albums. A cynic may look at the enlistment of Morello as a way of dressing up a hodgepodge of tracks that would otherwise be seen as a collection of leftovers. It's also a way for Springsteen to earn points with a younger demographic. Anyone remember how well Neil Young was served by his association with Pearl Jam a few years ago?
If the songs on "High Hopes" had been included as bonus tracks on a box set, they would probably be more appreciated than they are in the context of a standalone album. On the Tim McConnell-penned title track, Springsteen's growling voice mixes amiably with an updated Bo Diddley beat, but Morello's shrieking guitar juts in like a warning from the Emergency Broadcast System."Harry's Place" is a pulsating keyboard rocker in the Foreigner tradition - which is odd enough - but Morello's guitar work only points out how outdated the rest of this song sounds.
A few songs work, most notably Chris Bailey's "Just Like Fire Would" and "Frankie Fell In Love,” not because they tread more familiar sonic territory but because they're not dipped in awkward drum machines and Tom Morello's air-raid guitar squalls.Separately, Springsteen and Morello are capable of great things, but the pairing of the two doesn't work - at least not on a musical level.
Whoever is being paid to push this album to the press has probably worn out a thesaurus trying to find ways to explain this interesting but unromantic musical marriage.
Classic album: Inner Grooves
Artist: The Grip Weeds
Label: Ground Up
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
When rarities albums are done right - such as The Who's "Odds and Sods" or Bruce Springsteen's "Tracks" - they are sometimes deemed as important as the main albums in an artist's canon. The new Grip Weeds collection "Inner Grooves" is one of those collections.
The Grip Weeds started issuing full albums with 1994's "House Of Vibes", and have gone on to release a total of six highly acclaimed studio LPs and the blistering live set "Speed Of Live". Factoring in additional songs released on various compilations and tunes that for whatever reason weren't released on albums, the Grip Weeds found themselves sitting on a small mountain of unreleased and rare tracks.
For those of you who routinely lurk around the internet looking for rare rock and roll gems, "Inner Grooves" is a welcome respite."Rainy Day #1 & 2" - originally released on the now out of print "Pop 2K" compilation and once performed live by the Grip Weeds on BBC Radio - busts the album in a powerful, uplifting manner. "Nothing Lasts" was originally recorded for the mammoth double album "Strange Change Machine", but it serves as a sterling example of how the Grip Weeds have been able to move forward artistically without losing site of what makes the band special.
While the Grip Weeds have been hailed as a musical powerhouse from their inception, they also whip out the best harmonies of any band working today. The soaring, syrup-free harmonies on the Little Steven-commissioned acoustic version of "Every Minute" update the templates set by the Everly Brothers and Crosby, Stills and Nash. But, just when the Grip Weeds have soothed you into a false sense of serenity, the rare B-side "It'll Never Be Me" sashays in on a groove that could get even the staunchest wallflower out on the dance floor.
Guitarists/vocalists Kristin Pinell and Rick Reil prove themselves to be the most formidable string-bending duo in the business on the surging "In Waking Dreams". There is immense power in Pinell and Reil's guitar work, but also a healthy dose of finesse. Drummer/vocalist Kurt Reil is masterful at playing for the song, with enough air-drum worthy outbursts to make any stick fiend sore by just listening.
Although "Inner Grooves" is a compilation of rarities, there is a cohesion in its presentation. Even with the changes in songwriting and execution that naturally occur, there is a common thread that pulls all of the diverse strands of the Grip Weeds together.
Jon Dawson's album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase Jon's new book "Counterfeit Sauerkraut & The Weekend Teeth" at The Free Press office and jondawson.com.