E Street Band

Week 41: Sam Fender- Seventeen Going Under

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My introduction to Sam is becoming somewhat of a cliché if you read my reviews and how I appear to discover many artists/bands. Once again, it was through Later…with Jools Holland where one song he played stuck out. It was called ‘Dead Boys’ and was hard-hitting with its content, and I detected a sound used by a big American artist known as “the Boss”. Funnily enough, after delving for more information, I discovered that the young artist I had seen on the programme happened to be a massive fan of Bruce Springsteen and said that he was his idol. It’s appropriate that he is dubbed “the Geordie Boss”. It’s also funny that the Newcastle United fanatic has a surname after the guitar manufacturer. He also happens to use a Fender during his performances. However, he is no relation. Sam released “Hypersonic Missiles” in 2019, intimate about his personal life. This second album goes a little deeper into his teenage years and how he became a 27-year-old musician during his turbulent childhood.

Through those turbulent times of seeing his mother leave when he was just 8, being kicked out of his father and stepmother’s house, returning home to live with his mother, being talked out of selling drugs to help support his mother and being bullied at school for being obese, Sam has built a strong character through writing and playing and overcame those obstacles. He talks about having his heart shattered in a teenage relationship and how he pretended she was dead so that he could move on. He touches on the loss of his grandmother and writes from the perspective of his father, who hid away the pain, but Sam could see he was devastated. In the latter instance, Sam is akin to Stereophonics frontman and chief songwriter Kelly Jones, with the ability to speak in the third person.

Sam now knows what category his music belongs in with this record. Anything from Bruce Springsteen-style rock ballads to upbeat punk, complete with vocals from the heart. It is almost weird to hear his Geordie accent when it comes through on the tracks. Sam’s vocals sound like any region or country does not define them. They appear to be from deep within his body. Sam is from working-class Newcastle and isn’t afraid to show those roots as he calls out those in power for destroying the livelihoods of the working class. Sam mentions protests and wealth gaps on the punk-themed ‘Aye’ among other political issues.

Sam even throws in some jazz on ‘Mantra’, which is more instrumental than vocal. There is a slow build-up over the verse on the opening title track before the drums make a bombastic entrance. More instruments enter the phase, as with the guitars that can be heard at the introduction and the drums after the verse. The chorus is strange; I couldn’t identify it because there’s no clear indication there is one or much of one. The song is a lyrically remarkable story detailing his life from school to adolescence. There is a horn section reminiscent of Bruce’s E Street band, but that should come as no surprise for Sam’s inspiration for starting as a musician.

My favourite might surprise most people who listened to the album. It is ‘Angel in Lothian’ where Sam wishes an Angel in Lothian would save him during his dark times growing up. He talks about how he felt hopeless watching as his mother suffered from the pain that rendered her unable to work. Still, he was too young to help her and how living in North Shields affected his older brother Liam, a singer-songwriter who plays drums and piano. In the final chorus, Sam again wishes an Angel in Lothian would fix the problems he couldn’t and that when he has his children, they won’t suffer the upbringing he had or even the same health problems.

Like his beloved Newcastle United, Sam’s career can only improve, and his stock in America will surely rise as they recognise the Bruce in this highly talented North Shields lad.

Song recommendations: ‘Angel in Lothian’, ‘Seventeen Going Under’, ‘Aye’

8/10

Week 44: Bruce Springsteen- Letter to You

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I just had to do a track-by-track review for the Boss:

One Minute You’re Here:

This is just Bruce being alone in a bubble with his soul (This is what I call playing an acoustic guitar in a room all by yourself.) in a reflective mood with the lyrics remembering his friends lost over the years—aptly named.

Letter to You:

The album gets going with this track, and the E Street Band are once again proving that they still have the juice on this intimate and fragile ballad with Bruce, where he talks about what he always was and will remain to be.

Burnin Train:

In a nutshell. Fire.

Janey Needs a Shooter:

You’ll never guess who is on this track. But it does make sense, considering it is his first profession over being an actor. It is Steve van Zandt who played Silvio in the Sopranos. He provides backing vocals during the chorus. I don’t know if he is a new member of the E Street Band, but there are plenty among the original members. It works, though, and both stand out at each point of the song.

Last Man Standing:

Rumour has it, the Boss uses his usual three chords, but this one is leaning towards melancholy as he remembers his former Castilles bandmate George Theiss, and the title reflects that.

Power of Prayer:

A typical E Street Band accompaniment with its trademark saxophone solo. It’s a song ready for when Bruce can finally take this album on the road and have the crowd join in on a hot summer evening as the sun sets.

House of a Thousand Guitars:

I am seeing reviews of this track as the worst on the album when I found it the best on the record. I also found it ironic that the piano featured heavily, and the guitar, the weapon of choice for the Boss, is seldom used.

Rainmaker:

Ah, this is Bruce attacking the American government. It was written during George Bush Jr’s time in charge but has remained relevant to the current presidency of Donald Trump. So far, there have been no political songs on the record that go after the government. It’s good to see that Bruce has still kept his values.

If I Was the Priest:

It’s not one of his best songs, and the rhyming is very basic for someone of Bruce’s ability at songwriting.

Ghosts:

Again, this is another track ready for the road, with the E Street Band putting all their energy into it.

Song for Orphans:

It transpires that this is part of a trilogy that includes “Janey Needs a Shooter” and “If I Was the Priest” and were written when the great Bob Dylan highly inspired Bruce, so these songs were quite obviously written back in the 20th century, rather than just purely new songs for this album. It contains a plethora of words, which is a very Dylan trait.

I’ll See You in My Dreams:

The album doesn’t end on a high note. It is similar to how the album began. Hopefully, this isn’t the last record released by the boss, or this is not a good way for him to sign off. I can’t imagine Bruce timidly ending his studio career.

Song recommendations: “House of a Thousand Guitars”, “Last Man Standing”, “Ghosts”

7/10