Maps Don't Do Much For Me, Friend - Western Stars (2019)

(2019)

Bryan: Well, a new Bruce album, so here I am with Bryant Burnette to resume our album-by-album exhaustive overview of Bruce's career. Welcome back, Bryant! This is a pretty easy-on-the-ears album, isn't it? The orchestrations, the arrangements, the general swaying-percussion vibe. You can picture old people driving to it. Bruce has been in such terrain before, of course - hell all the way back in Tunnel of Love - and it's a perfectly fine and reasonable place for anyone over the age of 40 to be, music-biz-wise. 

Some of the imagery, unexpectedly, reminded me of "Dolan's Cadillac." How great would it be if Bruce stealthily put out a concept album of "Dolan's Cadillac"? I wish I could stretch the interpretive window to make an actual case for this. I'll probably always remember this as the "Dolan's Cadillac" album, regardless. I apologize for my brain.

Bryant: King has been heavily influenced by Springsteen at times, so it'd be pretty dope if this really WAS a stealth concept album of that nature.  Glad you enjoyed it! Good album; not a classic or anything, but solid.

Bryan: The above was Bryant's first impression; will it survive the overview to come? Let's find out.

"Hitch Hikin'"

Bryan: 4 / 5 Great intro tune. I like the laundry-list of details Bruce gives us here overall. Easy to visualize hitch-hikin' along, out into the desert and beyond. 

Bryant: I love this song.  Great lyrics, great mood, great production quality (it's modern without sounding completely artificial); it arguably never quite resolves, but I don't really care about that too much.  Even if it doesn't resolve, it works as a fine prologue to the rest of the album.  I'll see your 4 and raise you 4.25/5.

Bryan: I might even have to add a .25 on to my score for this one. Hold the presses, damn the torpedoes, speed the plows. Great track.

"The Wayfarer"

Bryan: 3.25 / 5 Maybe some of the orchestration is a little swirling or spot-on in places. Some good atmosphere here as well. Not a bad track 2. The 2nd track of side 1 is perhaps an obsolete consideration, but it's one I always still make.  I had to check my scores for Tunnel of Love to remember where my "adult easy listening country Bruce" bars were. I'm using my 4/5 for "Tougher than the Rest" as my calibration, here. 

Bryant: I guess I could kind of live without some of the strings, which seem kind of phony to me, as if somebody'd taken a perfectly good song and then added a "string" section because they were afraid the record-buying public would think it was boring.  As a composition, it sounds like it could be a b-side from Darkness on the Edge of Town or The River.  So pretty good, and definitely Springsteen-ian.  3.75/5

"Tucson Train"

Bryan: 3 /5 Perfectly fine but a tad on schmaltzy side. It's one of those big earnest country tunes you can't fault for being a big earnest country tune. Broad but reliable. I like the middle 8 ("I carried that nothing for a long time"). One of Bruce's working-a-crane fantasies, out there on the county line. Somewhere that dude from "Glory Days" is still out there, punching a clock, moving a bunch of crap, burying gangsters in elaborate wile e.coyote deceptions. 

Bryant: I heard this before the album came out, thanks to a video being released online.  It did absolutely nothing for me; I just shrugged at it and said, okay, well here comes another Springsteen album I'll only listen to a time or two.  But every subsequent time I've heard this song, it's seemed better to me, to the point where I'm flat-out in love with it now.  I love the riff that follows the line "My baby's comin' in on the Tucson train."  But I love everything else, too.  I bet this one is going to kill live.  4.5/5

"Western Stars" 

Bryan: 2.75/5 Same as above. A little too broad for me, especially the ending orchestration.

Bryant: Coincidentally (I assume), Quentin Tarantino released his latest film about six weeks after this album came out.  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about a fading television star (Leonardo Di Caprio) and his past-his-prime stuntman (Brad Pitt).  This song could damn near be a theme song for either one of them.  Tarantino's movie ends up having a very different tone than this song does, but the tone of the song is very much present in much of the film -- melancholic, regretful, but possessed of an urge toward rejuvenation.  "Set me up and I'll tell it for you, friend."  Top-notch.  The production of this one is working for me big-time (I'm much more positive on the ending flourishes than you are); I think the feel here is what Brendan O'Brien was going for on all those overproduced albums he did for Bruce.  4.5/5

Bryan: Good point - we spent a lot of time on that O'Brien-produced approach. This is definitely an improvement/ better view of what he was trying to accomplish there.

"Sleepy Joe's Cafe" 

Bryan: 2.75/5 Same, Kind of a Jimmy Buffet vibe here. Or maybe the Wiggles. Change "Sleepy Joe" to "Wags the Dog" or "Henry the Octopus" and voila. A bit Bruce-by-numbers, a pretty overstuffed genre as it is with this guy's back catalog. One of the nursing home, but I like it fine enough.

Bryant: Can't you hear this being done by the E Street Band in a style just like half the tracks on The River?  I'd probably prefer that, but even then I think this would be no favorite.  It's not bad, but it reminds me of a conversation we've had recently about stories Stephen King wrote where he's clearly chasing some idea that makes sense only to him.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but whether it is or isn't, I think that's what Bruce was doing here.  And actually, you know what?  I'm sparking to the song more on this listen than on any other.  3/5

"Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" 

Bryan: 2.75/5 I think we're in a bit of a harmless lull here, on the album. Passing through the valley. A sleepy valley. 

Bryant: If "Western Stars" was a Rick Dalton theme song, this is the Cliff Booth theme song.  It makes sense if you've seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  I'll shut up about Tarantino now.  Probably.  Anyways, this song is harmless enough.  It reminds me of what Bruce was trying to do on both The Ghost of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust, and it'd be a standout on either album.  That's more of a sleight toward those albums than it is a compliment toward this song, though.  I'll give it a 2/5.

Bryan: The Tarantino movie allusions intrigue me. I really have to see that one. I can't believe I'm saying such things about a new Tarantino film.

"Chasin' Wild Horses" 

Bryan: 3.15 /5 Picking up some. This one has some nice atmosphere. It's a kind of "man in a wheelchair looking out the window and seeing a slow motion montage of Marlboro men wrangling dogies before being wheeled back into the bingo room" atmosphere, but hey, that works too. I can see the video clearly as I type these words and listen to this one. There's a line in here about a storm of the mind and memories coming rolling through that made me think of big skies and thunderstorms. That's cool. This one has a bit of emotional heft to it that other tracks are lacking. 

Bryant: Bruce, what are orses?  Are they anything like horses?  Orses can also run wild?  Here's another one where the big cinematic flourish at the end works pretty well for me.  But overall, what this reminds me of is the majority of Bruce's songs this millennium: kind of forgettable, but inoffensive.  2/5  

Fades straight into...

"Sundown" 

Bryant: I remember reading before the album came out that it was intended to have a seventies-esque driving-through-the-California-sun vibe to it.  I don't really feel as if most of the album matches that description, but this song does.  If you told me it was a cover of an America song, I might believe you.  And I'd assume the America version was better, because it wasn't overproduced.  This one is.  But I like the song quite a bit nevertheless.  3.25/5

Bryan: 3.25/5 Same. If any song reminds you of driving through the desert with country music playing loud inside an air conditioned cab with reflective eyewear, it's this one. Extra points if there are orange barrels in the distance, or an ominous detour sign. Some of the orchestration gets a little too on-the-nose for me. 

That description of driving through California sunshine is... not right for me. I can sort of hear it, I guess, but California sunshine does not have this sort of desert-highway-air-conditioned-cab-slow-motion-bingo-parlor vibe for me, personally. But it's interesting: so much of Bruce's songwriting is filtered through his quasi-bipolar-worldview, as mitigated by meds, love, insight, poetry, etc. Not pigeonholing the guy, just observing like I've done before that there's a certain "shade" that comes over even his sunniest view out the window. Maybe this is what California sounds like to him. 

Bryant: Maybe.  I can't even recall where I saw it -- I think my Springsteen-fan friend Brian may even have told me about it, moreso than me having read it for myself -- but Bruce supposedly said the album had come out of a desire to capture that sound and for it to specifically be like Burt Bacharach songs of the period.  I don't hear that at ALL.  But fine by me; whatever gets the songs into the world, Bruce, you go ahead and call it that.

Bryan: (channeling the Herlihy Boy) For God's sake, let Bruce call it what he wants! He said he'd change the sheets...

"Somewhere North of Nashville" 

Bryan: 3.25/5 Bruce is kinda going for a raspy nasally affectation here that is ill-advised or parodyable in spots. I like it though. It might even have been developed in a more single-oriented/ uptempo direction. Interesting to consider had that been the case. I wonder if the song is referencing anything specific.

Bryant: Here's Bruce pretending he's a country singer again.  Not my favorite mode of his.  But this is a decent song.  2.25/5

"Stones" 

Bryan: 2.75/5 Harmless rut time again. 

Bryant: "Those are only the lies you've told me" is a fine lyric, and it makes for a good refrain.  Bruce sings this one with a lot of conviction.  I'm not sure I understand what the song is about, exactly.  Does that matter?  Probably not.  3.25/5

"There Goes my Miracle" 

Bryan: 3/5 I'm back in that cab again or seeing the  Marlboro Men montage, or one with a Hallmark Movie epilogue. It's a catchy one, though, and the lyrics are not trite.

Bryant: A bit overproduced.  Maybe a lot overproduced.  Still, I fucking LOVE this song.  Great vocals; some of his best ever, or at least of the current millennium.  Can I get away with giving this song a 4.75/5?  I bet if I went back and looked at some of the other songs I'd scored 4.5 or so, I'd want to slap myself for getting the score so wrong on this one.  So let's assume I ought not go over 4.5/5 and call that my final answer.  

"Hello Sunshine" 

Bryan: 4/5 Here's my 2nd favorite track. "Hello sunshine won't you stay" was another contender for title-lyric. "You can get a little foo fond of the blues." "You walk too far you walk away." Hard won observations, as they always are from this side of Bruce's brain.

Bryant: A very fine song, this one.  Another one that kind of sounds like America to me.  I say that as though I'm some fucking America expert or something.  I basically just mean it reminds of "Ventura Highway."  Which, while we're here, is a 6/5 for me.  "Hello Sunshine" isn't, but it's a 4.25/5, so it's not THAT far off the mark.  I love the slide guitar, and the strings work well on this one.

Bryan: Funny you mention America as I just listened to a whole bunch of their stuff. "You Can Do Magic" is a forgotten gem. That "yacht rock" vibe sounds better and better as either I get older or the world turns to hell, or both. I could've used a bit more of an America vibe on this whole Bruce album for me; George Martin produced those guys and Bruce could've used a George Martin here (there and everywhere). 

Bryant: I don't know all that much by America.  Just a handful of their big hits.  I love those, though, so I should check out more of their stuff one of these days.

Bryan: I agree by the way - "Ventura Highway" is just beautiful. What scores like 6/5 were made for. It might even be too low. "Aw come on, Joe, you could always change your name / thanks a lot, son, just the same."

"Moonlight Motel" 

Bryan: 4.25/5 Strong finish to the album. I really like this one. 

Bryant: Excellent lyrics on this one; this is a very fine album-closer, and it's a VERY fine closer for this particular album.  Reminds me a bit of "Valentine's Day," one of my favorite Bruce album-closers.  4.25/5, which might actually be a bit too low.  I'll stick with it, though.

Bryan: Agreed on "Valentine's Day" This one has a bit of a "Summer Thunder" (by King) vibe to it, as well; these guys are getting up there, mortality's on their mind, saying their goodbyes without saying goodbyes. But let's put a cork in such thoughts: we do not inhabit a Bruce-or-King-less universe and let's just enjoy that fact.

~

Bryan: With an average score of 3.24, not a bad album at all, definitely in the upper 40% of his vast catalog.

Bryant: Me, a total of 45.75, and an average of 3.52 So among my rankings that puts Western Stars just ahead of Live In NYC and just behind The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.  On the one hand, that feels overranked to me.  But on the other hand, I like every song on it, and love either six or seven of them; plus, my knee-jerk reaction on first listen was that it was the best album of new material he'd put out since The Rising, if not Tunnel of Love.  And the scores reflect that, so maybe I'm not as far off as I think.
  
Either way, I think this is rather a triumph; maybe just a low-key one, but when you've had a career like the career this dude has had, that's saying something.

Bryan: Hear, hear. I made myself a little Bruce mix and added in some of these new songs. I love when that happens; new angles on old songs, old context for the new songs, etc. A fun process. The tracks from Lucky Town/ Human Touch sound a lot better when surrounded by the tracks from more recent albums. And some of these new ones fit right in with "Wrecking Ball" and so many others. What a catalog. Always a thing to tip my cap to.

Bryant: Creating playlists does tend to reveal things, doesn't it?  The glory days of the mixtape may be gone, but mixing lives on.

FINAL RANKINGS

Bryan:

Lucky Town 2.15

Greetings from Asbury Park 2.19

Magic 2.27

The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.44 

American Beauty 2.56 

Working on a Dream 2.71

Chapter and Verse 2.75

In Concert / MTV Plugged 2.82

Tracks 2.83

Chimes of Freedom 2.86

Wrecking Ball 2.86

Blood Brothers 2.88

Human Touch 2.9

The Promise 3.08

Book of Dreams 3.1

Hammersmith Odeon, London 3.1

Western Stars 3.26

The Rising 3.3

Devils and Dust 3.36

High Hopes 3.39

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.43

Live in New York City 3.5

Loose Ends 3.63

Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.65

We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Sessions 3.67

The River 3.71

Tunnel of Love 3.8

Darkness on the Edge of Town 3.82

Live ’75 - ‘85 4

Live in Dublin 4.11

Born to Run 4.41

Nebraska 4.5

Born in the USA 5.4

Bryant:

Human Touch 1.7

American Beauty 2.00

Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 2.04

Lucky Town 2.15 

Chapter and Verse 2.15 

Working on a Dream 2.23

The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.46

Magic 2.46

Devils and Dust 2.48

Book of Dreams 2.58

The River outtakes 2.66

Chimes of Freedom 2.69

In Concert / Mtv Plugged 2.75

Greetings from Asbury Park 2.75

Wrecking Ball 2.77

Tracks 2.81

High Hopes 2.83

Blood Brothers 2.9

The Promise 2.99

The Rising 3.1

Live in Dublin 3.22

Tunnel of Love 3.35

We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Sessions 3.37

Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.38

The River 3.39

Live in New York City 3.48

Western Stars 3.52

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.68

Live ’75 - ‘85 3.7

Loose Ends 3.92

Born to Run 4.35

Darkness on the Edge of Town 4.4

Nebraska 4.63 

Born in the USA 4.88