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It's the way Springsteen injects his American bible stories with the air of disbelief that makes Magic a truly mature and memorable album.
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Entertainment WeeklyMagic, his best record since "The River" in 1980. [5 Oct 2007, p.68]
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Magic is, in one way, the most openly nostalgic record Springsteen has ever made.
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MojoThe immediately obvious aspect of Magic is there hasn't been such a musically dramatic Springsteen album since "Born In The USA;" and like that album, this is a State of the Union address disguised as a pop record. [Nov 2007, p.88]
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It stands well alongside any classic Springsteen record you can mention.
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Magic succeeds magnificently because it is the perfect balance of what we’ve come to love about an artist while venturing out to try new things.
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It trades in giddying, irresistible, full-steam-ahead-and-damn-the-torpedoes rock'n'roll. But at its heart, it's essentially a thoughtful wander in search of personal and national innocence.
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Magic is a strong record, riddled with sad emotion yet a noble intent to carry on.
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An album that resumes the glorious "Born in the USA" daze, of lighthearted girls on summer bicycles, and that hard guitar-and-sax sound.
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A sleek machine that's practically pleading to be taken out on the highway.
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As on much of Magic, Springsteen leaves the interpretive driving up to the fan, offering his most straightforward rock music in years.
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Springsteen's latest is very good, and a handful of tunes approach the level of urgency and raw desperation that made his earlier music so compelling.
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Credit producer Brendan O'Brien for the wall of sound that backs 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes,' which sets the atmosphere for one of the great vocal performances by Springsteen.
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Magic is a record aimed squarely at radio, stadiums, open car windows and the solar plexus of guys who don't notice passing musical fashion. Magic sounds big. And it sounds great.
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Magic is, musically, one of the most upbeat, accessible records he has made, even as its themes and stories make it one of his most political.
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This may be his best rock record since "Born In The USA" (I think I prefer "Lucky Town"), but that’s not saying much. Frankly I suspect his heart is in the quiet acoustic stuff, but it’s still great to hear him pick up the old Esquire once in a while.
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BlenderHis rage is mostly disguised within the most anthemic music he's made since the '80s. [Nov 2007, p.143]
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I'll grant you that Magic is uneven, but I cannot admit that it is anything other than constantly captivating.
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Magic doesn’t break any new sonic ground for Springsteen, but no one was calling for a reinvention. Magic offers what Bruce Springsteen does best: a handful of honest, hard-working tracks about life and how we live it.
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Magic's songs tend to be as small in ambition as they are big in sound.
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Magic is a sturdy, sure-footed Bruce Springsteen album.
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SpinMore classic-sounding raveups like 'Last to Die'and 'Livin' in the Future'--a perfect hybrid of 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-out' and 'Cover Me'--work on their own merits, but we already know what these merits are. [Nov 2007, p.122]
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If Magic revisits the subject matter of previous career crests, it unfortunately recalls "The Rising" in its sound: Brendan O'Brien returns to the producer's seat, once again shuffling most of the E Street Band to the music's margins and focusing his attention squarely on the Boss.
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Truly, the heavy strings and pasteurization O'Brien has effected on the last few Springsteen albums--"The Rising," "Devil's & Dust," and now Magic, the Boss's reported return to form with the amorphous E-Street Band--has robbed Springsteen of his still-youthful energy and blue-collar credentials, something that has always been key to the believability of his sometimes overly corny manner.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 101 out of 115
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Mixed: 9 out of 115
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Negative: 5 out of 115
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May 1, 2018
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Oct 17, 2016
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Apr 4, 2016