First things first: leaving politics and sociology aside for a minute, this is the least musically interesting Springsteen album ever. For starters, there is hardly anything here that could even be mistaken for a hook. "Empty Sky" comes out about the best, as it might be mistaken for being vaguely catchy. I couldn't quite remember how most of the other songs went even while I was listening to them. There were no significantly interesting melodic moments, or substantial melodic development.

Nor are there any other significant points of musical interest. There are no interesting harmonic turns, no unusual chords or harmony. The rhythms are totally generic. The arrangements and production are totally generic.

Even Max Weinberg can't breathe life into this tired turd of a pile of songs. Is he even playing? Most of this sounds like it was recorded with drum machines programmed by the most unimaginative minimum wage white idiot the Boss could find.

Springsteen used to be a major artist. His first four or five records came from a hungry artist with a restless soul. He expressed this with music that went beyond being catchy, searching for new sounds and wild rhythms. There was nothing else that sounded like, for example, his original "Blinded by the Light."

Over time however, he has pared back his spiritual vision and limited his musical palette to such a point that he's making Jon Bon Jovi start to sound good. Even the lobotomized rock of "Living on a Prayer" or "You Give Love a Bad Name" is more musically adventurous and truly soulful than, say, "Nothing Man" which is just watered down "I'm On Fire" or "Brilliant Disguise" -the difference being that those bland, soul deadening mid-tempo "rock" songs had HOOKS. At this point, Springsteen really IS a nothing man.

Even "Into the Fire" lacks any substantial emotion in composition or performance. It would be difficult to come up with a scenario with more natural drama than the firemen rushing into the WTC, yet there isn't an ounce of actual feeling here. This recording shows less genuine emotion than a Hallmark card. Speaking of trite Hallmark sentiments, "May your strength give us strength/ May your faith give us faith/ May your hope give us hope/ May your love bring us love." Yet, if you mock these words, YOU will be the bad person, much as you would be for disagreeing with some congressman's support for "family values" or "The Children."