The Rising is the first full length studio album that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have released in eighteen years. The album is also the first by major artist to have the core of its songs directly address September 11th. The songs take on the events from the views of firemen, widowers, a man who lost his life and terrorists. "Lonesome Day" opens the album up and is somber in tone yet uplifting in melody. "Into The Fire" is a brilliant song about a fireman going into the towers. Mr. Springsteen prays that their hope gives us hope and their love gives us love. "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" has a classic E Street sound with a rippling Clarence Clemons sax. "Nothing Man" speaks from the point of view of a man who has lost his life. It is a sobering look at the fragility of life. "Empty Sky" details the NYC skyline minus the Twin Towers. This might be the most personal song on the album as Mr. Springsteen himself drove to a bridge near his New Jersey and witnessed the destruction a day after the attacks. "Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin)" is a jaunty number that has a bouncy beat and reminds one of War's classic "Why Can't We Be Friends" in its call for understanding among different people. "Further On (Up The Road)" is a buzz saw rocker that first appeared on his 1999-2000 World Tour. "Mary's Place" is a nod to the E Street Band's halcyon days. Going back to "Thunder Road", Mr. Springsteen calls all his friends to meet him at Mary's place in front of a Born To Run era musical background. "Paradise" is a chilling acoustic base number that speaks from the point of view of a terrorist. "My City Of Ruins" was first played at his Christmas shows in Asbury Park a couple of years ago. The song was originally an ode to his adopted hometown, but it was transformed into a song about New York City after he opened up the America: A Tribute To Heroes concert. Unlike that stark version of the song, the album version has a bright, uplifting gospel feel to. The album's title track maybe the best song on the album. Powerful, evocative and anthmatic, the song has all the classic qualities of a rock anthem for these times much as his "Born In The U.S.A." was an anthem for the disillusioned of the baby boomer generation. "The Fuse" is a solid rocker with a pulsating beat. His only misstep is "Worlds Apart" which is about love between a white man and an Islamic woman. The song combines middle-eastern music and mimics the sounds of Sting's "Desert Rose". Mr. Springsteen employs producer Brendan O'Brien to helm the album and he updates the E Street sound beautifully. He helps retain the band's power, while adding a shine and gloss that gives the music a new and fresh dimension. He adds quite of bit a strings to the album, mostly in the form of fiddles. The Rising reminds us of the terrible tragedy of September 11th, but is full of hope. Mr. Springsteen shows that he still can get inside the skin of the common man and reveal his hopes, dreams, fears, losses and love of his country and fellow man.

If you're chronologically or musically fifteen years old, don't bother buying this CD since you won't connect with either the sound or the messages. However, if you are a musically and emotionally mature listener, then buy the CD, give it a few listens, read the lyrics and you will be happy that you did. Showing a musical range that Springsteen rarely displays while still retaining that classic "Springsteen Sound," the Boss has put together a terrific collection of emotional and musically engrossing songs. No, you won't find any sampling (we used to call it stealing) of other peoples' music, no hip-hop beats, no electronically altered sounds, no rap crap about "poppin' a cap in some fool's head," just straight-up rock-and-roll from one of the all-time best.

Though its unlikely that Springsteen will gain many new fans with this effort (though he deserves to), long-time Bruce fans will love this CD. It is certainly his best effort in a long long time, both in the lyrics and the music. The E-Street Band gets to strut its stuff (though not as much as I would like) and the few musically guests add interesting texture and depth to the recording. Bruce has always written songs with beautiful and emotional lyrics, but often the musical effort was lacking, or at least too predictable. That is certainly not the case with this CD. Excellent lyrics and finely-tuned music on virtually all the tracks, each with its own deeply emotional story to tell.

You can argue that this CD does not deserve five stars, but it certainly does not deserve a one-star rating.

The cd gets better with each listen. The E Street Band has never sounded better. One of the most passionate albums in their long career. Worth the wait. The cd was meant to be listened to in its entirety. To get the best out of it, I recommend listening to it when you have an hour to spare, put it on the cd player and get swept away. There is no better companion than Bruce.
He will take you to another level.
While only time will tell if this has the lasting power of Born To Run (27 years), it is a work reflecting the times with hope and gentleness.

I went out and got this cd a few days ago, and I became immediately hooked to the wonderful atmosphere of the cd, its uplifting message, and its broad focus on all aspects of life. This is the album that people call the "9/11" album, and yes, there is a lot of focus in the songs about bringing our country up after the horrific attacks, but there are no songs that are straightforward about that day. Springsteen prefers to explore the cultural and relationship changes that came after, and tries to reach out to as many people as possible. THe music is the most powerful and evocative he has ever created, and appears stunningly in songs like "my city of ruins" and "empty sky." This is a mature and sound album from a man who personifies a lot of the conflict and the heart of American culture. A "cash in on 9/11" it is most definitely not; I see no possible way that someone could cash in on something so terrible (in any country, not just the U.S. these types of disasters happen regularly in less fortunate countries). I personally recommend that the new fan gets Greatest Hits, and then they should get this album. I am sure it is the best thing he has ever made, and certainly the most mature. I hope it is remembered as a classic album in future years.

Now about all those one star reviews:

I think the people who come on this site are just mean spirited yokels (notice most of them are from the south, no?) and hey guys, I dig music down there (Skynyrd, Allman Bros, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and the like) I find you lot to be incredibly misguided in you lambasting of this album. For one thing, Bruce writes extremely intelligently and truthfully about the tragedy, as did many other people at this time. But only Bruce gets accused of a "cash in" by you guys? that seems pretty unfair, in my view. Also, Springsteen has designed his music so that it reaches out to everyone, and is not exclusive to certain areas. You guys are all mean spirited. Don't lead normal people to get misguided impressions of the fabulous music on this cd.

After one listen to the Rising, I could only think damn this is a really good album. After a day of listening, I thought damn this is a GREAT album (definite Grammy nomination here). If you are a Springsteen fan, this is the closest you are going to get to the Born in the USA days. It is a mature rock album by a mature songwriter (yes lots of songs rock, but also lots of mellow tunes). Lyrically, inspiration from 9/11 is throughout the entire album, and if anyone was going to write about the tragic events, Bruce is the one to do it (and probably one of the only ones I'd respect doing it). I'm already singing along to the songs as I drive down the highway, they are infectious. The first 3 songs really set the tone, each one is exceptional, and just fine songcrafting. The production is top notch, and the musicians are at their finest. I can only say, that if you have been craving Bruce to play some rock again, this is it. It is'nt rock like his earlier stuff, but c'mon, he is a mature artist, and this is just what I would expect, and just what I needed.