Bruce Springsteen- Only the Strong Survive
Label: Columbia
Producers: Bruce Springsteen and Ron Aniello
As Bruce Springsteen’s legendary catalog has continued to grow throughout the 21st century, The Boss has proven himself to be one of rare rock icons from his era (Bonnie Raitt and John Mellencamp among them), or any rock era for that matter, who has managed to age masterfully, continuing to deliver the kind of creative and entertaining records that stand up well to the classics of his peak periods in the 70s and 80s. Albums like 2012’s Wrecking Ball and 2020’s Letter to You have proven that he can still rule and deliver rock & roll with the same vigor and energy of his youth, while passion projects like We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions from 2006 and Western Stars from 2019 have served to quench his desire to veer off and pay tribute to other stylistic areas of interest and passion. Only the Strong Survive falls squarely in that latter category, a covers project of fantastic and timeless soul and R&B classics from the Motown and surrounding eras that sourced so much of Springsteen and his young bands’ formative performances in the New Jersey music scene of the late 60s and early 70s. The song selections here are unsurprisingly tasteful and varied, featuring standout moments from the careers of heroes like The Commodores, The Four Tops, The Supremes, Jimmy Ruffin, Jerry Butler, Dobie Gray, The Temptations, Ben E. King, and William Bell, to name most. This is not a covers album where the artist is looking to reincarnate these classics as something wholly new, but rather finds Springsteen, producer Ron Aniello, and the red-hot musicians assembled (including guest vocals on two tracks from R&B legend Sam Moore) staying tried and true to the original arrangements and melodies. This is a positive choice, especially in this realm of music and you can instantly feel the limitless love and passion that Springsteen carries for these tunes. That’s also not to suggest that Bruce doesn’t insert his own vocal character and style into these readings. In fact, as I mentioned in a recent single review, I love how projects like this and Stars have bestowed long-overdue prominence on Springsteen’s talent for pure, straight-forward singing, which shines throughout the entire record, but especially on rousing renditions of the Commodores’ “Nightshift”, Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted”, and the sweet Supremes standard, “Someday We’ll Be Together”.
Track Listing:
- “Only the Strong Survive” (Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)
- “Soul Days” featuring Sam Moore (Jonnie Barnett)
- “Nightshift” (Walter Orange, Dennis Lambert, Franne Golde)
- “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” (Frank Wilson)
- “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” (Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio)
- “Turn Back the Hands of Time” (Jack Daniels, Bonnie Thompson)
- “When She Was My Girl” (Larry Gottlieb, Marc Blatte)
- “Hey, Western Union Man” (Butler, Gamble, Huff)
- “I Wish It Would Rain” (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene)
- “Don’t Play That Song” (Ahmet Ertegun, Betty Nelson)
- “Any Other Way” (William Bell)
- “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” (Bell, Booker T. Jones)
- “7 Rooms of Gloom” (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
- “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (William Witherspoon, Paul Riser, James Dean)
- “Someday We’ll Be Together” (Johnny Bristol, Jackie Beavers, Harvey Fuqua)
The 706 
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