Bruce Springsteen

Thanks to some vocal and songwriting experimentation on the Boss's part, Devils sounds like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Lou Reed all at once -- not like any of those dudes at the top of their powers, more like they sound today. Fans unwilling to make the leap of faith are directed to "Jesus Was an Only Son."

Springsteen the superstar's one-man-band album is less engaging musically than Malkmus the cult artist's, but more engaging artistically, because for all his overreliance on dramatic drawls, Southwestern locales, and mother love, Springsteen has stories to tell. I dearly hope the two kids in "Long Time Comin'"'s sleeping bag are off with their parents on a cheap but restorative vacation--that would be so much less a commonplace than on the road. But I'm not so curious I'm tempted to boot up the explanatory DVD on the other side of the superstar's DualDisc. (Grade - A-)