After "Born In The USA" Springsteen could really only lose, and he judged the task of follow-up album actually pretty good solved: On Tunnel Of Love ERDAS has only done right and drop the bombast, wiped the gloss, the keyboards for some put songs into a corner and the whole redeemed and more produces song based. Why this album still is dispensable: for me mainly because of the lyrics: They may be very personal, but there are still to a large extent from cliches about life in America, who were still in demand in the eighties, but are become stale today, a have unangemnehmen Begeschmack and in art and culture long parodied especially and be reduced to absurdity. Of except only those in which he allegedly engaged in the divorce from his first wife. Musically the album is mixed - some good pieces are, others are unfortunately the eighties clearly to listen, especially with the mid-tempo numbers Springsteen has tapped too often in the radio rock trap. Annoying but above all: the lyrically successful pieces are musically weak (Spare Parts, Tunnel Of Love), which are musically good often lyrically poor (Tougher Than The Rest, Is not Got You). Conclusion: If you fully copes with Springsteen's music and narration, which can also rely on this album without hesitation. But those who only look for the best Springsteen works, which are mainly the purely acoustic album Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad and the new album Devils & Dust recommended plus the excellent compilation "The Essential Bruce Springsteen" with all the hits, including two (Tunnel Of Love and Brilliant Disguise) from this album.
