Wrecking Ball- Bruce Springsteen

There are certain artists that I have just never been able to get into.  I never got into Bob Dylan and never understood why he was considered so great, and Bruce Springsteen falls into that class.  I never thought he was bad, but never got into his work, either solo or with the E Street Band, so I went into listening to Wrecking Ball with little expectation that I would like it.

Going in, I knew from reading online that some of the songs are dealing with the Great Recession. My hope was that Springsteen wouldn't go all John Mellencamp-heavy-handed with this album, and he didn't. Some of the songs are a bit cheesy in spots, like the opening song "We Take Care of Our Own" and "Land of Hopes and Dreams". Springsteen has his share of anthemic songs on Wrecking Ball, but I would recommend the album because of its quieter songs, such as the vulnerable,  down-and-out "This Depression" and the dead-people-talking "We Are Alive".