5. Bruce Springsteen

With the mostly acoustic Devils and Dust, Springsteen retreated from the grand gesture, like he did on The Ghost of Tom Joad and Nebraska, tackling our new world order with nuanced, literary songs. The album's strength lies in its fully formed characters and harrowing little stories: Whether it's an unlucky illegal alien ("Matamoros Banks"), a guilt-stricken boxer ("The Hitter") or a harried father ("Long Time Comin' "), nearly every one of Springsteen's protagonists is caught in the tug of war between hope and despair, heralded by the title track: "I've got my finger on the trigger/And tonight faith just ain't enough." There's no E Street Band to redeem these people with rock & roll catharsis. The effect is something like James Earl Jones reading Raymond Carver -- an American master and old friend plying his craft as a stalwart response to scary times, and because it just plain feels right.

Next: My Morning Jacket, Z