We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is the first album Bruce Springsteen has released where he did not write a single song. The album consists of songs sung by the legendary folk artist Pete Seeger. The album differs from Mr. Springsteen's other forays into folk music as it is not an acoustic affair. Backed by a seventeen piece band, the album has a rollicking, spirit raising, old time vibe. Mr. Springsteen seems invigorated by working with a new band and he really lets loose. Vocally, he hasn't sounded this energetic on an album since Born In The USA. One would think that by covering songs by Mr. Seeger, that this would be an overtly political record. While there are political overtones that explore war, poverty & strife, the music is so joyous and uplifting that the heavy subjects don't bog the feeling down. "Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep" is straight out of New Orleans with a dixeland sound. "Pay Me My Money Down" is a shuffling old sea shanty. "Old Dan Tucker" is a roaring folk rocker. "Jesse James" is an outlaw ballad that rolls along while "Froggie' Went a Courtin'" is a six string slappin' rave up. "Mrs. McGrath" is most political of the songs about a mother whose son loses his legs in a war. Mr. Springsteen updates the lyrics to reflect current times, but the message is powerful either way. We Shall Overcome is a perfect blend of what Mr. Springsteen does best and harkens back to his glory days. It mixes up poignant lyrics and tales of the working man with an uplifting spirit and a wall of sound production. The new American Land edition adds five songs. Two, "Buffalo Gals" and "How Can I Keep From Singing" were included on the DVD side of the original release. The three new songs are all first rate and add a more overt political bent to the album. "Bring 'Em Home" rings true about the Iraq war, "American Land" sounds like something that could have been on Nebraska and "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live" is a tremendous song.

Why pony-up for a second edition of an album released a mere six months ago? Well, for one thing it includes a slew of bonus tracks, all worth shelling out another ten bucks for. But the stand out is "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such times and Live?," a 1920s blues song about the depression by "Blind" Alfred Reid that Bruce remolded the last few verses to fit the plight of New Orleans. He posted this song on his website shortly after the original release of this album and it became a big request for fans to get their hands on as well as the centerpiece of his live shows on this tour. And for good reason. The song is absolutely brilliant - in sound and lyrics. It fits perfectly amongst the folk standards on this disc but could also stand alone as a classic rock/blues single on a "normal" Springsteen disc. You can almost hear the E Street Band pumping this one out live. Ditto the still fresh and invigorating tracks like "O Mary Don't You Weep" that were on the original release.

There is also a DVD that includes the bonus content that was on the flip side of the original album's "DuelDisc," plus bonus live performances from the tour this summer. This is merely a sampling of the whale of a show that these concerts were, but as such they do a terrific job of capturing some of the energy. Truth be told though, there were so many other great versions of Springsteen classics and other blues covers (like a phenomenal "Rag Mama Rag") performed throughout the tour that these bonus performances really make the viewer wish Columbia would have just forgone the re-release of this album and just done a live disc and/or DVD. Any of you who were skeptical that this would be a downer of a show or some corny hoedown sorely missed out. The show I was lucky enough to attend was a huge party and rocked as much as the average E Street show. Springsteen put more energy into this performance than anyone could have expected, even by his high performance standards. He knew what his fans would want and he did not use this different type of music as an excuse to slouch. Hopefully Columbia will release something indicative of those shows down the line. Although, I thought his intimate shows for "Devils and Dust" were brilliant in showcasing the Boss' playing chops and strong vocals, but there has yet to be any sort of Springsteen acoustic collection ("D&D" was actually his second acoustic tour following a similar stint in the mid-90s) collection so I won't hold my breath for Columbia to release any of his more experimental music endeavors.

And finally, as many have begged for, this version does away with the "DuelDisc" format. Many of has had no bad luck with them, but look at the reviews for the first release and you'll see that a ton of people did. So here you get the music plus bonus tracks on a normal CD and all the DVD content of the DuelDisc plus the new live performances. So whether you hated the DuelDisc or just want the new content or both you simply can't go wrong here.

There will be some of you who will write posts here saying things like "oh, they are just gouging us for money," or "why release this again," etc. Remember, just because it's on store shelves and is out there for those so inclined to double up or feel the performances and new tracks are worth the money, does not mean you have to purchase it. It's only a rip off to you if you buy it, otherwise its just there. And those that choose to pick it up won't be disappointed.

First off, have to admit that I am a solid Bruce fan. First saw him in the late 70's and have seen him in every decade since. Have every album from his first one to this one, and have enjoyed all of them. So having made that clear, let me say that I really enjoyed this set. The music is fun and it seems like Springsteen is having a good time with this. It is a departure for him as it is the first album he has done that consists of songs from other musicians. This version has extra songs on it and a wonderful DVD that has a nice documentary on the making on the album and four terrific live performances. A couple of highlights from the album include "Pay Me My Money Down" and "American Land." Take a listen to this album and, long time fan or not, this is one to enjoy for everyone. The DVD and the extra songs on the CD make this a terrific buy. There are classic American songs on this album sung by a classic American singer. Really a strong performance.

5 stars for the music + 1 star for the pointless, full price reissue of this album=3 stars average.

I love the music on this album. The five new songs are worthy to stand alongside the tracks on the original version of the album, and I'd argue that "How Can A Poor Man" is one of the best songs that he's recorded in years. So as I said in my review for the original album, don't let the idea that this is "another folk album" from Bruce Springsteen deter you from buying it. Bruce may not have written the majority of these songs, and they may not be performed by the E Street Band, but it's as powerful and fun as anything I've heard from him in a long, long time.

However, I'm extremely disappointed that Bruce seems to have ended the US leg of the Seeger Sessions Tour, because I was really hoping to experience these songs live. As it stands, many major cities, including my own, that have long been traditional stops on a Springsteen tour will not have a concert for the first time in thirty years. That's a shame, because I do believe that there is a market for this music. And while a poorly executed tour may have little to do with my enjoyment of CD itself, I would argue that Bruce's recent commercial moves are the main culprit for poor attendance at his recent US concerts and the modest sales of CDs like this. While this music is great, I don't think that there's a market for hearing it performed live at prices near $100 a ticket, or for full-priced reissues of an album that is barely six months old and that contains only 5 new songs (the DVD content is pretty negligible). I think that many people find Bruce's blatantly commercial ploys to be incongruous with the social message that he obviously hopes to convey by performing songs like this. I mean, who is prepared to pay $100 per ticket to hear protest music in an oversized stadium or amphitheater? And who wants to pay $14+ for a CD that contains only 5 new songs? That doesn't mean that he isn't entitled to make money off of them, but I do believe that there's a balance between making a profit and making your music accessible to a wide audience. Cheaper ticket prices would have drawn in more fans, and releasing these 5 new songs (2 of which were actually included as bonus content on the original CD) as a cheaper EP would likely have made this CD sell more copies. Remember "Chimes of Freedom", Bruce?

Yes, the songs are available to be downloaded, but I'm not convinced that the sound quality of itunes is up to par with that of a CD, or that downloading music is the preferred choice for most people in Bruce's audience. The same guy that won't remaster his shoddy-sounding CD back catalog or release many live recordings doesn't hesitate to put out this strange release? I just don't get it. The music is great, but save moves like this for pop acts that won't have near the longevity of Bruce Springsteen.

geez, how many times can you repackage and sell Bruce's stuff? We had the essential Bruce that you had to buy to get the bonus disc. Next we have the Seeger sessions, and now an updated version of it with some new tracks and video just a few months later. How about "Born To Run" ? An aniversary edition of it with a DVD of a London show in 1975. THEN a 2 disc audio Cd of the live show. Geez, if you have the DVD just record the audio portion. I know property taxes are high in Jersey but does he really need the money that bad? We're all supposed to run out and buy whatever he sells? So much of what he's been doing lately is BORING. I love Bruce and have from the beginning but enough is enough! My rule now is that if it's not with the E-Street Band it's not getting my money. Sorry if I don't share Bruce's artistic vision lately but I know I'm not the only one.