Bruce Springsteen's late-period has yielded some of the best work of his career, with 2012's Wrecking Ball in particular acting of a fine representation of what he's still capable of. Earlier this week, he announced the follow-up, High Hopes, which will be released in January. This album feels like it will be a bit of an oddball in his discography. Rather than another album of new original material, Bruce has gone for a mix of covers, and new versions of old songs that have been overlooked over the years.

The first track to be released was a stark, intense cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream," while this week, the title track, a remake of a song from his lesser-know EP Blood Brothers made the rounds. This one represented Bruce's more rollicking side, but also contained the legendary fury of his live performances. The performance was raw, and gave the impression that the album as a whole could take a an angry, political tone (Tom Morello's involvement also gives that indication). In any case, while the concept for the album is a bit surprising, the first two tracks have eased any fears I may have had about this record. The Boss's winning streak will almost certainly continue.