Only the Strong Survive | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 11, 2022 | |||
Recorded | Thrill Hill Recording, New Jersey, US | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:24 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
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Singles from Only the Strong Survive | ||||
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Only the Strong Survive is the twenty-first studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2022, through Columbia Records. [3] The album is a cover album of R&B and soul songs, and his second cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006). It was announced on September 29, 2022, along with the release of "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)", a cover of the song by Frank Wilson. [4] The singles "Nightshift", "Don't Play That Song" and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" followed throughout October and November 2022. The album title is an eponymous reference to its first track, a cover of the original "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. [5]
In mid-September 2022, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner revealed that Springsteen planned to release a new album before the end of the year. [6] Springsteen formally announced the record on September 29, and expressed in a statement that he "wanted to make an album where [he] just sang" and tried to "do justice" to "the great American songbook of the '60s and '70s". [7] He recorded the album at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey following his sessions for Letter to You (2020). [8] The album was produced by Ron Aniello, who played all the instruments except Springsteen's guitar and piano, and horns played by the E Street Horns. [3] It also includes two duets with Sam Moore. [7]
Springsteen began promoting the album by posting teaser videos on social media in September 2022, including audio snippets of the covers. A music video was released for the album's first single, "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)", on September 29. A music video for the album's second single, "Nightshift", was released on October 14. A music video for the album's third single, "Don't Play That Song", was released on October 28. The album's fourth single, "Turn Back the Hands of Time", also received a music video on November 11, 2022. [9]
Springsteen promoted the album's release with four appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from November 14 to 16, 2022, along with a special Thanksgiving episode on November 24, 2022. [2]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10 [10] |
Metacritic | 74/100 [11] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
Clash | 8/10 [13] |
Classic Rock | [14] |
The Guardian | [15] |
musicOMH | [16] |
NME | [17] |
Paste | 7.8/10 [18] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [19] |
PopMatters | 8/10 [20] |
The Telegraph | [21] |
On Metacritic, Only the Strong Survive received a score of 74 out of 100 based on seventeen critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. [11] Erica Campbell of NME felt that Springsteen "resurrects these classics as a means of celebration, pointing back to some of the strongest songwriters and vocalists of all time with 15 huge and heartfelt tributes, as opposed to just churning out shallow reimaginings". [6] Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone wrote that although it is a "shame" that aside from horn players and a "Sam Moore cameo, none of the soul-steeped musicians from Springsteen's past are to be found on his R&B love letter" and "even if the arrangements occasionally feel static in their mimicry, Springsteen's voice shines and sparkles". [1]
Clash 's Emma Harrison described Only the Strong Survive as "an astute sonic journey through a genre that has always resonated with The Boss", writing that it is "unequivocally clear" the "passion" Springsteen has for the genres of soul and R&B, as well as an "ideal opportunity for a new audience to discover glorious discoveries from a rock 'n' roll stalwart". [13] Michael Elliott of PopMatters agreed that Springsteen's "love for this timeless, joyous soul music is jubilant and infectious", opining that while his lead vocal "mostly delivers" and his "robust rasp is perfect for" the album, there are moments where he "struggles, sounding rushed, as the song overpowers him". [20]
Reviewing the album for musicOMH , John Murphy remarked that "the record works best when it dives into less familiar territory", calling the album "pretty much Bruce does karaoke, but when it's done this well and with so much obvious love for the source material, it's irresistible". [16] Neil McCormick of The Telegraph found that the album "remind[s] us how much R'n'B filtered into the epic rock sound he ultimately developed" and compared it to "stumbling into the world's greatest bar band playing the world's greatest setlist at the wildest shindig ever thrown". [21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the tracks chosen for the album "demonstrate deep knowledge and good taste" and "enjoyable enough" that "Springsteen and Aniello aren't exactly re-interpreting these 15 songs: they're merely playing them for a lark". [12]
Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork wrote that the album has "character, and more than that, it's got energy: Springsteen has never sounded quite so lighthearted, so unburdened, on record", summarizing that Springsteen "seems more driven by the act of creating itself: lighting a spark" and knowing others could find the "hope" in the songs that they originally "provided for him". [19]
In a November 2022 interview, Springsteen said that he had plans for a volume 2 of Only the Strong Survive and that the album was "probably three-quarters recorded". [22]
On June 15, 2023, former E Street Band member David Sancious, who left the band in 1974, said that he is set to appear on a follow-up to Springsteen's Only the Strong Survive and that Springsteen has completed 18 songs for the album. Sancious said he expects to tour with Springsteen to support the album in 2024. [23]
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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France (SNEP) [62] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [63] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [64] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [65] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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In Concert/MTV Plugged is a 1992 concert video and 1993 live album by Bruce Springsteen.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released February 27, 1995, on Columbia Records. It is a collection of some of Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years along with four new songs at the end, mostly recorded with the E Street Band in 1995. The latter constituted Springsteen's first release with his backing band since the late 1980s. Some of the songs are shorter versions of the original album releases.
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The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of Essential sets released by Sony Music. It includes songs from various Springsteen albums and concerts up to the year 2003. A limited-edition third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising (2002).
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