Reportedly,
Bruce Springsteen
recorded most of
Human Touch
in 1990, but left it unreleased. He returned to work in the fall of 1991, intending to add a song, but ended up recording a whole new album,
Lucky Town
, and then decided to release both records at the same time in the spring of 1992. He might have been better off pulling a couple of the stronger songs from the earlier album, adding them to the later one (which runs less than 40 minutes), and shelving the rest. While
was a disappointing album of second-rate material,
is an ambitious collection addressing many of
Springsteen
's major concerns and moving them forward. Here was the rage and the humor, the sense of compassion, the loyalty and commitment that had been the stuff of
's best music from the beginning. Songs like
"Better Days"
and
"Local Hero"
commented on and deflated the commercial success with which
clearly felt uncomfortable;
"If I Should Fall Behind"
"Book of Dreams"
expressed romantic fidelity and generosity;
"Souls of the Departed"
contained scathing social commentary; and
"My Beautiful Reward"
was a meditative epilogue. The lyrics were better, the arrangements tighter, the performances more powerful than those on the companion release. If
, like
Tunnel of Love
before it, sounded a little under-produced, it nevertheless had the mark of the major artist
is, and if he had released it alone, it might have had a more significant impact. ~ William Ruhlmann