Elly Roberts reviews
Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions
Distributed by
Sony/BMG
- Cat.no: 82876830742
- Released: April 2006
- Rating: CD: 10/10; DVD: 6/10
Yee ha! Take your partners, as The Boss goes barn-dancing hillbilly style.
It's not what you do, it's they way that you do it - so mainstream BS fans
are in for a big surprise, maybe a shock, or even a treat, which this
fun-filled collection is from start to finish.
When you're 'The Boss', you
can do what you like. So, doing a 'covers album' (with a difference) is new
territory. After high-priest of Americana Woody Guthrie, comes 86 year old
folkie Pete Seeger, who Springsteen pays tribute to on his 21st album.
Springsteen said, "So much of my writing, particularly when I write
acoustically, comes straight out of the folk tradition. Making this album
was creatively liberating because I have a love of all those different roots
sounds.. they can conjure up a world with just a few notes and a few words".
Using a big ensemble, 14 musicians in all, he's virtually recreated his
stadium conquering performances, all from his lounge (and hallway) in New
Jersey. Not wishing to rush things, this concept is the culmination of a
protracted nine year period - 1997, 2005, 2006, so maintaining its spirit,
without rehearsals, must have been a monumental task itself.
In the sleeve
notes he says, "This is a LIVE recording..All arrangements were conducted as
we played, you can hear me shouting out names and instruments of the players
as we roll."
Musically he's done his home work, seeking out songs that span centuries of
American folklore.
Conjuring up images of camp fires and pitch-fork dances, it's full of
finger-licking life from the start: we're given the Springsteen shuffle -
joyous and uplifting, which me maintains throughout - Old Man Tucker gets
the feet stomping. Fun continues as BS grows his way through another romp -
Jesse James - with drum sticks leading and banjo following. Violin driven
Mrs. McGrath and John Henry have a more 'Irish feel', a kind of bluegrass
meets The Pogues.
Throwing in a New Orleans jazz break midway through O Mary
Don't You Weep turns the indigenous song on its head, giving it a new
spiritual meaning as brass, piano and back-ups have a ball. Gently ambling
Erie Canal's initial banjo pick and violin are swept away by Dixieland
stylings, bringing a punctuated blast, segued by equally rip-roaring Jacob's
Ladder.
The next three, take the foot of the accelerator - My Oklahoma Home,
Eyes On The Prize and Shenandoah (a most beautiful love ballad and the
undeniable highlight) are more sedate offerings amongst the wonderful din.
Back to business, a rousing Pay Me My Money Down pre-fixes an emotional We
Shall Overcome, sounding more like his compatriot Bob Dylan. Topping off, a
chugging Froggie Goes A Courtin' is a fitting conclusion to a brilliant
idea.
On the DVD we get the album all over again plus two bonus tracks - Buffalo
Gals and How Can I Keep From Singing, and visual snippets of how it was put
together, in an almost improvisation process - he guides them with -
"Trumpet.bring up a B-flat...don't stop now.anyone wanna tackle that ?"
The Boss also said, "I wanted the sound of a bunch of people just sitting
around playing." He's certainly achieved his goal, even if it took nearly a
decade. That's dedication.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
