Rocky Ground

I have just been listening to the track 'Rocky Ground', from the new Bruce Springsteen album "Wrecking Ball". To begin with, it sounds so unlike the Boss that I wondered whether to persevere - indeed, whether the right track was being played at all; but by a minute or so into the song, I was hooked. It is a very powerful song, full of religious imagery and very socially aware; powerful musically, too, with a combination of rock and gospel (some rap too - that won't please the die-hard fans!), and a determination to experiment with sound combinations.

If this is typical of the album, then it will be one of his best. I look forward to hearing further tracks, but it's more than likely that this will be my next album purchase (my last, by the way, was a collection of Mozart mass settings). I've said before on these pages just how important music is to me, and how dependent I am upon it. My daughter used to have a fridge magnet with the motto "Where words fail, music takes over." This is so true. At its best (and perhaps also at its most dangerous) music can make contact with the deepest emotions: it works its way into the soul, and lays bare the things we normally hide even from ourselves.