The Rising - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
The Rising Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 87 Ratings

  • Summary: The Boss' first studio album with the E Street Band since 1984's 'Born In The U.S.A.,' 'The Rising' contains 15 new Springsteen songs produced by Brendan O'Brien.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. 100
    A brave and beautiful album of humanity, hurt and hope from the songwriter best qualified to speak to and for his country.... A towering achievement. [Album of the Month, Sep 2002, p.102]
  2. 80
    Beginning with "Further On (Up The Road)," Springsteen finds his footing and rides out the album on a stirring high note. [#9, p.140]
  3. Like all his best work, the whole of The Rising is better than the sum of its individual songs.
  4. Anyone hoping that this reunion with his old band would mean Springsteen's found his focus and was ready to rededicate himself to the freewheelin' spunk of his "classic" period will surely be disappointed with The Rising.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 41
  2. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. ScottH
    10
    Bruce does it again.
  2. RyanM.
    10
    It seems uncanny how many great songs are on this record. One of the few albums where I never skip a track.
  3. MattJ
    8
    It feels a little bloated - there are a couple of mediocre cuts that weigh the CD down. But, you take the ten best cuts, and you have a tight, excellent 50-minute album that's arguably one of his best. "Worlds Apart," "Empty Sky," and "Into The Fire" were later given much better arrangements in concert, but the original versions here are still good. The title track, "Lonesome Day," "Mary's Place," "Nothing Man," "Paradise," and "You're Missing" are good to great songs, and "My City's In Ruins" is a great closer (though I prefer the acoustic version on the TRIBUTE TO HEROES 9/11 charity CD). The rest is mediocre stuff and the crowd-pleasing "Waiting On A Sunny Day" is annoying with really bad lyrics, but you can program those out. Expand
  4. JulianE.
    6
    Maybe it's because I'm Australian and I don't get Springsteen, but aside from the fact that he's been brave enough to tackle the awful tragedy of 9/11 and admirably kept it down to earth - it doesn't make this pedestrian set of songs with bland eighties production values thrilling music. I only write this b/c I am baffled by the stellar reviews and had to put something down! Expand

See all 41 User Reviews