Even as a minimalist, Bruce rules

By Jeff Druchniak

Weekend, Etc. Editor

Bruce Springsteen didn't have his greatest commercial success with "Nebraska." Let's be frank: Almost nobody bought it. But with this album (which the uninitiated might mistake for a demo) the man from Asbury Park, N.J., sealed his reputation as a groundbreaking rock poet who was no more willing to compromise his musical independence than his social agenda.

In contrast to the polished sound of such rock hits from his early career as "Born to Run" and "Hungry Heart," Springsteen made a shocking departure with the ten songs on "Nebraska." The Boss recorded them all in his Jersey bedroom with nothing but his voice, his guitar, a harmonica and a 4-track Teac tape recorder.

But nobody could mistake Bruce for just another singer and guitarist, and even a session hack without a tenth of Springsteen's grit and expressiveness couldn't undermine the stark beauty of the songwriting on this album.

Each selection is a full-fledged story song bursting with a genius for detail that even surpasses Bob Dylan, one of the clearest inspirations for "Nebraska." With settings in small towns from Michigan to Wyoming (and, of course, New Jersey), Springsteen chronicles the hardworking, long-suffering men and women of the nation's working class - their basic decency, and the terrible depths to which their betrayed American dreams can drive them.

Some of these songs make you want to shake your booty, scream in righteous anger or do both (like the rockabilly ahout-out "Johnny 99"), but they all incite the hypnotic desire to sing along. The Boss offers his shatteringly phrased thesis statement in the bluesy grind "Atlantic City" - "Down here it's just winners and losers / And don't get caught on the wrong side of that line."

"Nebraska" may have made Bruce's record label tear their hair out in bafflement, but give it an hour or two of your undivided attention and it'll emblazon images and moments in your listening memory forever.