Album review: Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Grade: B-] A collection of B- and C-sides, covers and re-recordings, High Hopes doesn't exactly top the list of Springsteen's most essential recent records.
Bruce Springsteen | B-
A collection of B- and C-sides, covers and re-recordings, High Hopes (Columbia) doesn’t exactly top the list of Springsteen’s most essential recent records. Even the most devout Boss completionists might agree that scrapped cuts from The Rising (“Harry’s Place”) and obscure Australian punk band covers (The Saints’ “Just Like Fire Would”) probably didn’t need to be released. High Hopes does have its highlights, though. The full-band version of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” is inspired and a studio recording of “American Skin (41 Shots)” has been a long time coming.
