Sunday Review: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Only The Strong Survive’ A Joyous Celebration Of Timeless Soul Classics

Having interviewed thousands of artists, from John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Les Paul and Aretha Franklin to Adele, Skrillex, ASAP Rocky and Billie Eilish, you find a few common denominators among almost all musicians. One of those shared traits is the older an artist gets the more comfortable they get with themselves and care less what the world thinks.

That very much feels like the case on Bruce Springsteen’s absolutely joyous new collection of soul/R&B covers, Only The Strong Survive. To be clear, Only The Strong Survive is a superb delight, one with top-notch musicianship and production.

But the album absolutely shows a looser side of Springsteen, one who long-time fans will recognize. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Springsteen was a covers king, drawing on a huge array of songs, including such raucous barn burners as his “Detroit Medley,” which included songs like “Devil With The Blue Dress On,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” and more; the Sam & Dave classic “Soul Man”; “Twist And Shout”; “Summertime Blues” and more.

Now 73, and an Oscar, Grammy and Tony-winning member of both the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame, as well Kennedy Center Honoree and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Springsteen has absolutely nothing left to prove. As a result, he can just have fun.

He embraces that spirit on Only The Strong Survive, from the opening title track, originally done by Jerry Butler in 1968. Just as on Butler’s original Springsteen’s version begins with that tried and true ’70s era soul spoken word intro (think the Manhattans’ timeless “Kiss And Say Goodbye” as the quintessential example).

After a chorus of female vocals singing, “I remember,” Springsteen narrates the intro. “Now I remember my first love/Of course the whole thing went wrong/And my momma had some great advice/I thought I’d put it into words of this song/Cause I can still hear her say.” And then he begins to sing with beautiful conviction.

While never the blue-eyed soul singer type a la say Van Morrison, fans who’ve seen Springsteen do Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love (With You)” live know Springsteen is a strong soul singer. He has said leading up to this album he was confident in putting that voice forward on these songs. And he is definitely up to the challenge throughout the diverse 15 songs.

His cover of the Commodores’ 1985 smash, “Nightshift,” brings a soulful gruffness to the silky original; he does a damn fine Elvis impression that turns into bravura performance on The Walker Brothers’ 1966 powerhouse, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”; he totally nails The Temptations’ haunted lament of lost love, “I Wish It Would Rain.” And his union with the legendary Sam Moore on a stunning cover of the Booker T. Jones and William Bell-penned “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” is stunning.

Just as he excels on the ballads, there are moments of sheer unbridled joy, like the playful “Don’t Play That Song,” originally recorded by the great Ben E. King in 1962. That leads right into his equally exuberant rendition of Bell’s “Any Other Way.” Also capturing the feel-good vibes is the second track, Dobie Gray’s “Soul Days,” where he name checks the likes of Wilson Pickett, Aretha [Franklin] and some “Soulful” Sam Cooke.

What makes Only The Strong Survive such an effective collection is the diversity of the songs Springsteen selects. The most important trait for any great covers project is that you feel the artist’s love for the songs. And from the opening “Only The Strong Survive” through the closing “Someday We’ll Be Together,” all 15 songs ring out with Springsteen’s enthusiastic passion for these great songs.