Artist : Bruce Springsteen Album : Devils & Dust (Columbia)

Bruce Springsteen did not earn the title "working class hero" for nothing. For over thirty years, Mr. Springsteen has penned songs chronicling the lives of outcasts, street fighting men and average joes.

Born To Run was the tale of blue-collar Americans finding their way to the promised land while Born In the U.S.A was a story of a small-town boy sent to fight a war on foreign soil.

Devils & Dust is another social commentary from "The Boss" and the demon he now confronts is the implausibility of George Dubya's empire. Springsteen's 13th record and his fourth without the E Street band has songs about soldiers living in (Iraq) fear, a Mexican immigrant crossing the U.S. border and a man seeking solace from a prostitute.

And drama from the stories was enough to be built from acoustic guitar, violin and slide dobro. Producer Brendan O'Brien contributes a barely audible bass and that is enough. -- M. Taufiqurrahman