57. Bruce Springsteen - 'Letter To You'

 I was saving a space in the top ten for this record. If anyone could make sense of 2020 then it's the Boss. He is the greatest American singer songwriter of all time (and if anyone is screaming Dylan at this point, well you are wrong) and no one else weaves stories like he does. With the dependable E-Street band by his side, the stage was set for Bruce to produce the definitive soundtrack to this most bizarre and unprecedented of years. 

 Whilst not in any way a bad album, it is not the tour de force or conclusive statement I was hoping for. It is, when all is said and done, an album of two halves. It starts well, ‘One Minute you're Here’, ‘Letter to You’ and ‘Burnin’ Train’ are all barnstorming archetypical Springsteen. Radio-friendly but still full of poignancy and pathos. However about halfway through it starts to wane. ‘House of a thousand Guitars’ is alright but nothing more than alright, but ‘Rainmaker’ is terrible and has an awful chorus. The album never quite recovers and limps to a finish.  

It is still a proud number 57, as the first six songs are as good as modern Springsteen gets. However, it is not the life-changing masterpiece I had, in my hopes and expectations, built it up to be. As strange as it seems to be saying this about something that has made it halfway up the list, it’s a bit of a disappointment.