There's a lot to be admired in "Only the Strong Survive," Bruce Springsteen's 21st studio album. But I find myself enjoying it in dramatically different ways than, say, his 1970s-era masterworks "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town." Those records stirred our intellect and our emotions via the excitement of the artist's storytelling and attendant musical drama. With "Only the Strong Survive," Springsteen succeeds, simply put, by elevating our senses through the pure power of song.
Much of this album's sensory impact should be credited to the album's atmospherics. A collection of carefully selected cover versions, the LP sounds like the music and textures from soul and R&B's heyday. That's not to suggest that the album feels dated—far from it. Rather, Springsteen and co-producer Ron Aniello's careful attention to sonic detail results in establishing a soulful ambiance that draws listeners in from the snare shot that kicks the title track into being. In so doing, they establish a musical thread that drapes itself across the balance of the album—indeed, right on through to the final cut, "Someday We'll Be Together."
