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Various Artists
Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

This isn't the first CD tribute to the Boss, but it's the most expansive, with thirty-seven artists, from Dion to Pete Yorn to unknowns, and a benefit album to boot -- money goes to fight Parkinson's disease and sarcoma. Some versions are faithful, like Joe Ely's "Working on the Highway" and Dan Bern's raw, acoustic "Thunder Road." Others are recast, not always for the better: witness the Clarks' upbeat "The River," Joe D'Urso's ska-flavored "Badlands" and Billy Bragg's "Mansion on the Hill," which sounds more like "Blueberry Hill." Still, many tracks shine, from Elvis Costello's country-resonant "Brilliant Disguise" and Joe Grushecky's rootsy glide through the title track to close-to-earth solo readings by Patty Griffin, Willie Nile and Rosie Flores. E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren even adds a to-the-heart "Man at the Top." But hearing Crazysloth and Cowboy Mouth rock through "Candy's Room" and "Born to Run" mostly make one yearn for the original.

PAUL ROBICHEAU
(September 3, 2003)