Bruce Springsteen – Somewhere North of Nashville Review

Country feels like the most obvious of genres Bruce Springsteen would lean into. He staved off a full-blown genre overhaul a few times, scrapping Somewhere North of Nashville, which was recorded around the time of The Ghost of Tom Joad, seemingly because it was a complete opposite to his chart-featuring style. Listeners do not know what they want until they have it, but there is still caution from the artist at play, even one as legendary as Springsteen. Somewhere North of Nashville is the sort of ambitious project he would make in later stages of his career. Not so much in genre changes, but in the left-field choices, be it covering songs from his past or in creating an up-tempo country album, as is the case here. Another stellar Tracks II: The Lost Albums addition. A few songs from Somewhere North of Nashville have been slightly adapted to that country style with Western Stars, but to hear them in their original context is fantastic. 

A crucial documentation of where Springsteen rekindled his politically charged spark. From the fury of Repo Man to letting the guitar do the talking on a vicious-sounding Tiger Rose, Springsteen finds a new edge. He revisits the songs of life on the road and finds little to love about his beloved country. This is not a direct link to Born in the U.S.A., but it holds the same weighty tones, the same tremendous, gripping quality of that perfect blow to Americana. Somewhere North of Nashville is an outstanding album. Had it been released when intended, it would have been a defining part of Springsteen’s discography, casting a shadow over the works that followed. In those swinging country styles, the honky tonk thrill, is a cutting collection of current-day cultural assessments. Poor Side of Town is staggering. Honest but harsh, its story of a classist comedown backed by some heart-wrenching strings, is a highlight of Somewhere North of Nashville.  

Rocking tones found on Delivery Man give Somewhere North of Nashville its big band swing, the honky tonk style which Springsteen is set on developing. He succeeds, and many of the songs featured remain relevant. These are moments where Springsteen can dig deeper into the tone set by the best of his 1980s efforts. Under a Big Sky has The Boss reconnect with the vastness of his country. He finds those pockets of hope in Texas, of all places, but the stray chasing, the exploration of canyons and natural beauty, sounds like a reset for a man whose life is primarily on tour buses and stadium stages. This is an album which hears how Springsteen stays grounded. Detail Man feels a tad similar to Repo Man, but even that stumble is a welcome listen. Janey Don’t You Lose Heart holds firm with the inspiring tone, that tremendous ability Springsteen has in bringing hope through repetition made good on here.  

These are elevated standards of the country genre. Guitar-heavy work is brought up to modern standards with piano interludes on the staggering You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone and the string arrangements of Poor Side of Town. Those are the highlights of Somewhere North of Nashville, an album which uses its titular location as a chance for Springsteen to explore the roots of the genre. He succeeds in his adaptation of country music’s most observant and heartfelt moments, that much is clear through the final tracks of this Tracks II: The Lost Albums release. It works better when the focus is on tender tones, the softer charms of what country can provide, but there is plenty of fun to be had with the rocking, rebellious sounding Stand on It. Highways, bars, and the starry skies feel like constants in Springsteen’s storytelling style, and there is plenty to love about that through Somewhere North of Nashville.