American Beauty wasn’t the only Springsteen-themed release on Record Store Day 2014: Check out Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo’s gorgeous string arrangement of “Tougher Than the Rest” from their Songs Beneath the River EP.
Author:
Ken Rosen (2080)
An outtake and afterthought from the Lucky Town sessions, “Happy” nevertheless captures the almost out-of-body contentment that’s born along with a new and growing family.
Twice only: Bruce joins Southside Johnny on the Little Steven-penned 1991 rave-up, “I’ve Been Working Too Hard.”
Listen closely to Little Steven’s love song “Angel Eyes,” and you’ll hear the unmistakable (but uncredited) backing vocals of Bruce Springsteen.
Minnie Driver’s cover of “Hungry Heart” is more lush and romantic than Bruce’s lyrics call for, but then again so was Bruce’s original arrangement. Take a listen to her lovely version inside.
One time only: Bruce joins The Wallflowers in a gorgeous cover of Sam Cooke’s classic “Bring It on Home to Me.”
One time only: Bruce does his best Clarence Carter homage when a fan requests James Carr’s classic cheating song.
Dion’s second cover of a Lucky Town track is both faithful to the original and distinctly Dion. It’s lovely and well worth a listen.
Short on lyrics, long on guitar jams, “I Gotta Be Free” is an early Springsteen original from his Steel Mill period with a mid-song cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Turn on Your Love Light.”
Traditional, slow-grooving, or hard-rocking, they’re all great: check out Bruce’s three very different covers of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” spanning five decades.