New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Bruce Springsteen's first studio album in five years has both fans and critics proclaiming it some of the finest music of his career. The "hauntingly brilliant" (USA Today) Western Stars also comes out of the gate as a cross-continental champion. The album, which Esquire calls "his best new work in a decade," has been #1 at both iTunes' and Amazon's album charts in the United States.
Springsteen's 19th studio album debuted at #1 on the UK album chart, giving him 11 #1s there and placing him alongside
David Bowie and the
Rolling Stones as one of the Top 5 acts with the most #1 UK albums. The album is already #1 in most European countries — including Belgium, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands — and is trending #1 in Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. Western Stars has been #1 at iTunes charts in those countries, as well as the US, Austria, Denmark, Finland, India, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
UK outlets The Telegraph, The Independent, and The Sun each gave Western Stars five-star raves, with The Guardian praising its 13 new songs as "transcendent… powerful." Pitchfork called Western Stars Springsteen's "best studio album in years," adding that "Springsteen albums are usually grand affairs but he's never made one that sounds so vast and luxurious throughout."
Listen to Western Stars here: https://brucespringsteen.lnk.to/westernstars
Western Stars, released June 14 on Columbia Records, draws inspiration in part from the Southern California pop records of the late '60s and early '70s. Produced by Springsteen and Ron Aniello, the album features music from more than 20 players, including Patti Scialfa, Jon Brion,
David Sancious, Charlie Giordano, and Soozie Tyrell.
WESTERN STARS QUOTES
"Some of Springsteen's most beguiling work ever...the sound dates back to Springsteen's youth, and he channels it masterfully." - Rolling Stone
"His best new work in a decade...some of the most charming material of the venerable star's career." - Esquire
"A gorgeous love letter to the idea of songs providing salvation...the sort of magic Springsteen specializes in conjuring." - Entertainment Weekly
"A work representing an entirely new direction...an album steeped in myths, and yet, it also seeks to puncture them." - Wall Street Journal
"Songs that thrive on the swells and undulations of orchestral drama...its gathering impact comes from its expansive arrangement, which opens and deepens around his voice like an endless prairie." - New York Times
"It stands comparison with his very best solo albums" - The Telegraph
"Nothing short of a late-period masterpiece... A must-have for anyone with a heart" - The Independent
"Springsteen's long-distance road trip to bold new sonic horizons, steeped in tradition but strikingly distinct all the same" - The Sun
"Majestic in its scale, but traditional in its subject matter and narratives, 'Western Stars' is a wonderful thing" - NME
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