The title of Bruce Springsteen's new album has invited a lot of clever riffing from critics debating whether or not the work lives up to its "high hopes." Though the Boss's "late-career" songs are unlikely to claim the airwaves as tracks from his younger years once did, there is something to be said for critics hoping for greatness from the musician. Springsteen has been known for bridging mass appeal with widespread critical acclaim.
In truth, however, High Hopes doesn't feel like an album made with critics in mind. It isn't novel or inventive or particularly unexpected, yet it is what most fans of Springsteen likely would have wished for. Beginning with the funky jangle of the title track, it automatically connects with the casual listener looking for a good time.
But Springsteen is offering far more than that. High Hopes isn't merely dumb fun. It presents the workingman blues Springsteen perfected with a genuine sense of comradeship with its audience, and a poetic intelligence that never condescends. "Down in the Hole" even provides a strange, ghostly reprieve from the poppy anthems that make up most of the record's middle.
Although High Hopes might feel corny or overdone at times (did Springsteen really need to rework "The Ghost of Tom Joad?"), the alleged "unevenness" cited in the mixed reviews it has received seem somewhat unfair. There is no half-hearted filler on the album. There is only Bruce Springsteen doing what he loves the way he loves doing it, and his amiable authenticity sounds pretty swell to this critic.
Grade: B
