The Promise by Bruce Springsteen

Back in 1975, Bruce Springsteen, the man described by critic (and later manager) Jon Landau as “rock and roll’s future”, was almost down and out. His debut album, Greetings from Ashbury Park, N.J., had become a critical success but a commercial flop, selling only 25,000 copies in its first year. Springsteen had one last shot at the stars, and he took it. He released the epic Born to Run and catapulted himself straight into rock and roll legend.

However, following the release and success of Born to Run, he was kept out of the studio for three years due to a bitter legal battle with his former manager Mike Appel. When he returned, gone was the drama and optimism that characterised Born to Run, replaced by the feelings of uncertainty and the need to press on through doubt that made his next album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, feel so different from its predecessor.

Three decades later, Springsteen releases The Promise, a compilation of music he wrote and recorded during the Darkness sessions. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a record made of music that didn’t make the cut, though. They just simply didn’t fit in with the feel that Springsteen wanted for Darkness.

The album opens with an early cut of 'Racing in the Street', the epic street racing ballad from Darkness. While maybe not as brilliant as the finished product, its bittersweet piano building into a truly magnificent rock elegy and the lyrics lamenting the very same Americana he celebrated in Born to Run, reminds you just what the man was capable of at his best, and how he could turn ordinary American life into something so glorious.

Other songs on the album stand out. 'Because the Night' and 'Fire', tracks that became hits for Patti Smith and the Pointer Sisters respectively, show Springsteen at his pop writing best. 'Outside Looking In' showcases the effect that the likes of Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly had on Springsteen’s musical career, and the title ballad 'The Promise', mixing sombre piano and a driving drumbeat, reveals The Boss’s troubles after his legal disputes , and his doubt in the American Dream he had loved so much.

This collection of music from a rock superstar at the top of his game, while maybe not one of the classics like Born to Run or Darkness, definitely should not be simply written off as the off cuts from his early days, but instead it is a compilation revealing the wealth of music we never got to hear from what was probably his best song writing period. A great album from a rock legend at his peak.

Scores (out of 10)

Lyrics - 8
Vocals - 7
Instrumentals - 8
Album arrangement - 8
Overall - 8

Favourite track - 'Racing in the Street ('78)'