Only the Strong Survive (Bruce Springsteen album)
Springsteen's second cover album, released in 2022.
Bruce Springsteen’s twenty-first studio album, Only the Strong Survive, came out on November 11, 2022, via Columbia Records. It is a collection of R&B and soul covers, marking his second cover album after 2006’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. The record earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th ceremony.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Bruce Springsteen
- Released
- 11 November 2022
- Recorded
- 2020–2022 at Thrill Hill Recording
- New Jersey
- US
- Genre
- Rock
- soul
- R&B
- Length
- 50:24
- Label
- Columbia
- Producer
- Ron Aniello; Bruce Springsteen
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Only the Strong Survive | Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff | 2:59 |
| 2 | Soul Days (featuring Sam Moore) | Jonnie Barnett | 3:58 |
| 3 | Nightshift | Walter Orange, Dennis Lambert, Franne Golde | 4:56 |
| 4 | Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) | Frank Wilson | 2:27 |
| 5 | The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | 3:44 |
| 6 | Turn Back the Hands of Time | Jack Daniels, Bonnie Thompson | 3:07 |
| 7 | When She Was My Girl | Larry Gottlieb, Marc Blatte | 3:17 |
| 8 | Hey, Western Union Man | Butler, Gamble, Huff | 3:53 |
| 9 | I Wish It Would Rain | Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene | 3:24 |
| 10 | Don't Play That Song | Ahmet Ertegun, Betty Nelson | 3:34 |
| 11 | Any Other Way | William Bell | 2:54 |
| 12 | I Forgot to Be Your Lover (featuring Sam Moore) | Bell, Booker T. Jones | 2:28 |
| 13 | 7 Rooms of Gloom | Holland–Dozier–Holland | 2:39 |
| 14 | What Becomes of the Brokenhearted | William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, James Dean | 3:31 |
| 15 | Someday We'll Be Together | Johnny Bristol, Jackey Beavers, Harvey Fuqua | 3:33 |
| Total length | 50:24 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Did You Know?
- On June 15, 2023, former E Street Band member David Sancious said he is set to appear on a follow-up album and that Springsteen has completed 18 songs for it.
- Sancious expected to tour with Springsteen to support the album in 2024.
Background and recording
Springsteen recorded the album at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey after sessions for Letter to You (2020). Ron Aniello produced the album and played all instruments except Springsteen's guitar and piano, with horns by the E Street Horns. Two duets with Sam Moore appear on the record.
Promotion
Springsteen posted teaser videos on social media in September 2022. Music videos were released for the singles "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" on September 29, "Nightshift" on October 14, "Don't Play That Song" on October 28, and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" on November 11, 2022. He promoted the album with four appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from November 14 to 16, 2022, plus a Thanksgiving episode on November 24, 2022.
Critical reception
On Metacritic, Only the Strong Survive received a score of 74 out of 100 based on seventeen critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Erica Campbell of NME wrote that Springsteen "resurrects these classics as a means of celebration" with "15 huge and heartfelt tributes". Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone noted that aside from horn players and a Sam Moore cameo, none of Springsteen's past soul musicians appear, and while "arrangements occasionally feel static in their mimicry, Springsteen's voice shines and sparkles".
Clash's Emma Harrison called the album "an astute sonic journey" showing Springsteen's passion for soul and R&B. Michael Elliott of PopMatters agreed that Springsteen's "love for this timeless, joyous soul music is jubilant and infectious", though his vocal "mostly delivers" but sometimes "struggles, sounding rushed". John Murphy of musicOMH remarked that "the record works best when it dives into less familiar territory" and called it "pretty much Bruce does karaoke, but when it's done this well ... it's irresistible".
Neil McCormick of The Telegraph found the album reminds "us how much R'n'B filtered into the epic rock sound he ultimately developed". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the tracks "demonstrate deep knowledge and good taste" but that Springsteen and Aniello "aren't exactly re-interpreting these 15 songs: they're merely playing them for a lark".
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