Review: Bruce Springsteen - The Promise

The Promise, probably the most anticipated release this year for me. In 1978 Bruce Springsteen released Darkness On The Edge Of Town, one of his most successful albums, and one of my personal favorites. The material from the sessions 1977-1978 that became the Darkness album consisted of much more material than the 10 songs that ended up on Darkness.

The Promise, The Lost Sessions from Darkness on the Edge of Town. The title says it all. The 21 tracks on The Promise is all songs that at some point was just thrown in the garbage bin and not included on the album. But as The Boss himself pointed out in an interview they stand alone very strongly as a double CD. As a matter of fact it doesn't sound like a studio outtakes album or anything like that it sounds like a Bruce Springsteen album from the seventies.

Bruce who grew up during the early days of Rock N' Roll and teenage music got influenced a lot by the likes of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly but also by great 50's and 60's soul music and Bob Dylan. The influences are easily heard on The Promise.  For example on the pop influenced Ain't Good Enough for You.


A thing not very common among double albums is that the second disc is actually a lot stronger than the first one, it is at the same time more complete and more varying in the musical orientations. Especially the first half of the first disc tracks 1-4 doesn't really come up to the same level as the rest of the tracks on the album.

I wouldn't say it is better or even as good as Darkness On The Edge of Town, because let's face it, it's one of his all time greats. But The Promise is neither a bad record not even compared to the rest of The Bosses wide catalog, especially for me being a fan of Bruce's 70's work this is going to be close to my heart for a long time.


Tracks:

Disc 1

01. Racing in the Street
02. Gotta Get That Feeling
03. Outside Looking In
04. Someday (We'll Be Together)
05. One Way Street
06. Because the Night
07. Wrong Side of the Street
08. The Brokenhearted
09. Rendezvous
10. Candy's Boy

Disc 2

11. Save My Love
12. Ain't Good Enough for You
13. Fire
14. Spanish Eyes
15. It's a Shame
16. Come On (Let's Go Tonight)
17. Talk to Me
18. The Little Things (My Baby Does)
19. Breakaway
20. The Promise
21. City of Night
XX. The Way (hidden track)

5/5