Fall Music Preview 2007: Bruce Springsteen, James Blunt, Alicia Keys and More

Bruce Springsteen
Magic
Out October 2nd

When Bruce Springsteen sat down in his New Jersey home with producer Brendan O'Brien to play him some new songs, he had no idea what kind of album he wanted to make. "He said to me, 'This could be a solo record or an E Street Band record,' " O'Brien says. But as the two began creating demos, the high-energy songs seemed perfect for the band, which flew down to Atlanta to cut its first album since 2002's The Rising. From the first single, "Radio Nowhere," to the "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"-style "Livin' in the Future," Springsteen keeps things upbeat until the end -- when the disc gets political with the anti-war "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home" and "Devil's Arcade." The album will most likely wrap up with "Terry's Song," a last-minute addition he wrote for the funeral of his longtime assistant Terry Magovern, who passed away in July. Says O'Brien, "He's inviting people in with the lyrics on this record a lot."

LISTEN
"Radio Nowhere" from Magic