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Jan 13, 2014For a stopgap release that no one expected, assembled from outtakes, B-sides, and covers that all but the most ardent Bruce followers would call inessential, High Hopes is still a remarkably cohesive and consistent record, and serves as a wonderful way to kick off 2014.
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Jan 8, 2014Strictly speaking, these 12 songs don't cohere into a mood or narrative but after two decades of deliberate, purposeful albums, it's rather thrilling to hear Springsteen revel in a mess of contradictions.
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Jan 2, 2014High Hopes plays very much like a sequel to Wrecking Ball, but Springsteen is less angry and blameful, more cheerfully weary this time around.
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Feb 20, 2014Post 9/11 sessions for The Rising yield early continuity ("American Skin [41 Shots]"), but once Springsteen goes Stax with full-on gospel rock ("Heaven's Wall"), High Hopes reveals its soft brown underbelly.
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Jan 6, 2014[Morello's] contributions feel inventive, versatile and natural, like an extension of the direction Springsteen was already moving in.... Aniello's production work definitely enhances and does not distract from or obscure the tracks.
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Classic Rock MagazineJan 2, 2014It's a pleasing patchwork of echoes of the past. [Feb 2014, p.92]
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Jan 13, 2014There’s something about High Hopes’ slight incoherence that actually stands to its advantage--it’s a less homogenous, polished whole than Magic or The Rising and a fresher, more arresting listen.
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Jan 6, 2014Songs about decades-old social injustices should make him sound out of touch, but High Hopes still crackles with immediacy, despite the cobbled-together nature of the material.
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Jan 9, 2014When your Springsteen itch needs scratching, only a few of these even three months from now are going to pass muster. But it's not like you'll be starved for choices.
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Jan 7, 2014There’s a spirit of collaboration that is largely new, a genuine and warm-hearted celebration of past members’ contributions and a celebration of the rowdy, uplifting storm cooked up by the 18-strong modern incarnation of the group.
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Jan 13, 2014Still The Boss.
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Q MagazineJan 2, 2014A record that unfolds like a collection of short stories, occasionally hokey but more often affectingly vivid. [Feb 2014, p.108]
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Feb 5, 2014A bygone feel permeates a few of the songs; the joyful saloon rock of Frankie Fell In Love takes listeners back to The River, and Down In The Hole recalls the more reflective Bruce of Born In The USA and Tunnel Of Love.
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Jan 6, 2014The cumulative effect of this mass of old, borrowed, blue and renewed – covers, recent outtakes and redefining takes on two classics--is retrospect with a cutting edge, running like one of the singer's epic look-ma-no-set-list gigs: full of surprises, all with a reason for being there.
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Jan 3, 2014Though lacking the thematic unity one expects from Springsteen albums, High Hopes has much to recommend it, particularly the way that Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has re-invigorated old material like “American Skin (41 Shots)” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad”.
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Jan 13, 2014Even looking backwards, Springsteen finds ways to light the road ahead.
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UncutJan 15, 2014There's a sombre edge to almost all these songs, even when the Hammond organ is wailing and the backbeat is a mile wide.... Morello's presence is crucial to the tone of the album. [Feb 2014, p.65]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 40 out of 59
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Mixed: 9 out of 59
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Negative: 10 out of 59
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Jan 15, 2014
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Sep 29, 2014
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Sep 15, 2014