Badlands: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
There was a time when nobody besidesManfred Mannreally bothered to cover Bruce Springsteen songs. All that changed onceBorn to Runturned the New Jersey singer-songwriter into a pop icon. Still, it was in the bleak character studies of 1982'sNebraskathat he reaffirmed himself as a literate everyman steeped in the tradition of John Steinbeck and Flannery O'Connor,Woody GuthrieandBob Dylan. And that's the side of Springsteen that clearly appeals toJohnny Cash,Los Lobos,Hank Williams III, and the dozen other artists who participate in this remake ofNebraska.Chrissie Hynde,Ani DiFranco, andDeana Carterall deliver haunting performances, but as far as the men folk go, the album's most striking covers are "bonus" tracks that were recorded for but not released onNebraska: "I'm on Fire" sounds even creepier with Cash's craggy vocal;Raul Malobrings out the pop sheen of "Downbound Train"; and "Wages of Sin," in the hands ofDamien Juradoand Rose Thomas, shows Springsteen can be just as depressing as your favorite emo idol. All of which makes this a fine companion to the original recording.--Bill Forman