Bruce Springsteen, “Only The Strong Survive.” The new Bruce Springsteen record of soul classics is going to be misinterpreted by some. A 73-year-old superstar cashing in on a quick cover record? An old guy making a statement about old music? A fantastically productive songwriting machine for decades running out of gas? Only…

Bruce Springsteen, courtesy. Last weekend was the 4th of July, but I didn’t do a column for the occasion because I needed the space to do something truly patriotic: Criticizing the government and demanding the people within it do better. Our country exists because people didn’t sit back and…

While Jack Antonoff may be best known as a music producer and songwriter, helping pump out hits for the likes of Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, Clairo and many others, he’s no slouch when it comes to making music of his own. The 37-year-old New Jersey native has been a…

Jake Clemons, courtesy. Jake Clemons loves to connect with people. A couple of years ago, he did a national tour of … living rooms, performing intimate shows in fans’ homes for as few as a couple dozen at a time. This, after replacing his legendary late uncle, Clarence Clemons,…

The best albums of 2020 include (clockwise from top left): Benny the Butcher, Sault, The Soft Pink Truth, Jacob Collier, Lucinda Williams, Jahari Massamba Unit, Bruce Springsteen, Loyal Lobos, Soccer Mommy and Crack Cloud. Welcome back to RIFF’s year-end album roundup! If you’re joining us just now, you’re here…

Twenty years to the day that U2 released its landmark album All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Roman Gokhman and I jumped on Zoom to talk about what the album means to us as fans, its cultural impact and legacy, and how it changed the course of U2’s music–for better or worse–in…

There’s typically an inner dialogue happening when serious Bruce Springsteen fans hear a new record the first time, especially one on which he unleashes the power of the E Street Band and its version of the wall of sound. Letter To You Bruce Springsteen Columbia, Oct. 23 8/10 It…

Bon Jovi’s new album is titled 2020; a simple idea for a simple record … in a complicated year. And Bon Jovi, who has always excelled at simplicity, could be what some people need right now. 2020 Bon Jovi Island Records, Oct. 2 6/10 But not everyone. Calling Bon…

Insert Foot Loves The Boss. What happens when Bruce Springsteen is no longer around to scrape us from the pavement after life rips out our guts and smashes the rest into the ground? Excuse me if I just don’t see BTS or Cardi B coming to sooth our troubled…

Insert Foot and the hope for more great music. Last week I wrote about the Covid-19 pandemic creating opportunities for musicians to reconnect and remember why they became musicians in the first place. Remember? It’s so drummers and Billy Joel can attract women. No, I won’t get over it.…