18. Bruce Springsteen – “Western Stars”

The extraordinary thing about Springsteen is how a seventy year old billionaire is still regarded as the legitimate voice of disenfranchised Middle America. He is Dylan for those that the counter culture bypassed, a bard of the broken America dream. Since 1995 he has been within a stunning purple patch of astounding creativity that has seen him walk the fine line between consistency and diversity. Consistency in that he has without fail told the story of every day Americans and their everyday struggles. Diversity in that he has subtly changed style with each record. There has been no big jarring U-turn in musical direction but over the last twenty five years he has turned his hand to country, folk, rock and Americana. With Western Star he adds Californian pop to the mix.

This is a remarkably good record. It is warm, playful and hugely accessible. But it also has its darker moments as it continues to tell the tales of those that have fallen through the cracks. This time around the accompanying music is sunny, positive and deceptively simple. Springsteen effortlessly manages to weave melody and harmony to create tracks that sound like they have been in your life forever. Amazing, just amazing.