In The Right Place

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN without the E Street Band can be pretty heavy going.

Nebraska, recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder at his home in 1982, wasn’t exactly a barrel of fun, but was compulsive listening because the songs were so good. On the other hand, Devils & Dust from 2005 was just so unrelentingly grim, anyone who still listens to it for pleasure has my slightly bemused admiration.

Springsteen’s new album, Western Stars (Sony), is almost unique in his canon: a pop, not a rock or folk, album.

There have already been comparisons made