I gave the first half of Letter to You a first listen tonight, and I don't want to jinx anything, but so far this is quite easily Bruce's best overall studio effort since The Rising. I thought it would be another mediocre detour for the Boss that wouldn't fare better than Bon Jovi's recent 2020, but boy, was I wrong thus far. The entire E Street Band is sounding great.
It does take a while for the Boss to hit his stride, though; the album unusually starts off rather slow and quiet with no buildup, before he starts bringing on the heat a bit for the second song (he also did this when I saw him live back in 2016, opening with "New York City Serenade" before getting into the louder songs). I believe we don't get our first Clemons solo until the fifth track (and glimpse of Scialfa backup vocals until the sixth?), when the music starts sounding undeniably Springsteen, a stretch of rocksteady, mid-tempo beauties. I can't wait to hear the latter half.
Welcome back, Boss. This is the Bruce so many people have known and loved for years. He took a slight departure from his usual fare with his Broadway engagement and Western Stars, but Kitty is finally back in town.
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”