A far cry better than Billy Bragg's Woody stuff. It sounds good to these ears. Don't like it as much as I loved 'Nebraska' but that's ok. When you see him perform live, he has always done some acoustic songs, and they are always one of my favorite parts of his shows. He usually picks his live acoustic songs from his Nebraska stuff, but now I'm sure folks who get to see him live will get to hear a couple of tunes from this album.

While I don't see Springsteen in a traditional music vein, I do see him as being a contemporary descendant of all that the tradition stands for, and means to we the people in a broader social context.

One could even say Springsteen, like the Beatles, are some of the rare pop and rock musicians who have successfully "traditionalized" their commercial music by the sheer power of their talent and personal charisma with so many of us 'folk'.

As sexy as 'Nebraska' et al is though, I have to say the Boss truly doesn't understand the American Midwest. He does decaying industrial East Coast better than anybody. But as far as Midwestern sensibilities, not so much. But we love him for trying anyway.