Magic [Digipak] - Bruce Springsteen > Reviews > If you liked Darkness... you'll like Magic

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Return to 1970s Bruce
Disadvantages:	Two weaker tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was a big fan of Springsteen's albums of the 1970s, from Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ to The River plus some of the tracks on the later Born in the USA. But I had been put off by some of the more Americana/folk stuff, such as Nebraska and some of the later albums, which I did not actually buy. But I heard Radio Nowhere and, especially Girls in Their Summer Clothes on the radio and thought this was much more the Springsteen that I liked, notably with good, strong tunes backed by the E Street Band.

I bought the CD and was not disappointed. I liked almost all the songs and played the CD several times a day for a few weeks without losing interest. Unlike many albums, the best songs are not the ones that have been released as singles. I prefer You'll Be Coming Down, Last To Die, I'll Work for Your Love and Long Walk Home to Radio Nowwhere, for example. The only tracks that I did not particularly like were Magic and the untitled final track, probably because they were the ones with minimal backing from the E Street Band and the most like Nebraska and Tom Joad Springsteen. The rest, though, reminded me a lot of Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River in terms of songs with strong melodies and an excellent balance between Bruce's singing and the wall of sound of the E Street Band. Obviously, the songs are now (even) more introspective in content and Bruce's voice is deeper and more growly, but if you liked late-70s Springsteen, you will like this.