We Shall Overcome (The Seeger Sessions)

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineWe Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is an unusual Bruce Springsteen album in a number of ways. First, it's the first covers album Springsteen has recorded in his three-decade career, which is a noteworthy event in itself, but that's not the only thing different about We Shall Overcome. Springsteen, a notorious perfectionist who has been known to tweak and rework albums numerous times before releasing them (or scrapping them, as the case may be), pulled together the album quickly, putting aside a planned second volume of the rarities collection Tracks after discovering a set of recordings he made in 1997 for a Pete Seeger tribute album called Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger. Enthralled by this handful of tracks -- one of which, "We Shall Overcome," appeared on the tribute -- Springsteen decided to cut a whole album of folk tunes popularized by Pete Seeger. He rounded up 13 musicians, including some who played on those 1997 sessions, and did two one-day sessions in late 2005 and early 2006, swiftly releasing the resulting album that April. As Bruce stresses in his introductory liner notes, these were live recordings, done with no rehearsals, and We Shall Overcome does indeed have an unmistakably loose feel, and not just because you can hear the Boss call out chord changes in a handful of songs. This music is rowdy and rambling, as the group barrels head-first into songs that they're playing together as a band for the first time, and it's hard not to get swept up along in their excitement. Springsteen has made plenty of great records, but We Shall Overcome is unique in its sheer kinetic energy; he has never made a record that feels as alive as this.

14th专辑收录13首由Pete Seeger的民谣作品，是Bruce首次完整演绎他人创作的专辑。项目起点可追溯至1997年录制同名歌曲，随后在接触Seeger作品后逐步形成方向。 录音在其农场以较为非正式方式完成，由Soozie Tyrell联络的新泽西与纽约音乐人参与，并与Miami Horns及Patti Scialfa共同组成Sessions Band，后续巡演亦延续这一编制。录制在无排练条件下完成，强调即兴调度与群体协同，使作品呈现出类似聚会式的合奏状态。 专辑整体以folk为核心，同时融合Americana、bluegrass、country、rhythm and blues、gospel、rock'n'roll、Zydeco、Dixieland等多种传统风格。编制上采用包含班卓琴、小提琴、大/小/长号、手风琴、萨克斯、钢琴、鼓等在内的多乐器组合，并辅以集体和声，形成接近现场合奏的整体声场。 曲目涵盖劳工、战争、贫困与社会动荡等主题，同时保持合唱性与参与感。例如“We Shall Overcome”“O Mary Don’t You Weep”等在编排中强化节奏与声部层次，通过铜管与弦乐的叠加形成推进效果；“Erie Canal”等则结合班卓琴与风琴等音色变化，扩展传统旋律的表现空间。 专辑在Billboard 200最高至第3位，并于第49届格莱美获得最佳传统民谣专辑。评论整体评价较高，集中于其将folk素材转化为具有rock能量的演绎方式，同时也有观点认为部分编排存在声音规模偏大的问题。Seeger本人对成品表示认可。

2006年第十四张录音室专辑 专辑时长:60:34 销量:500,000[RIAA] AllMusic:4.5/5 Entertainment Weekly:A– The Guardian:4/5 The Observer:4/5 Pitchfork:8.5/10 Rolling Stone:4/5 Spin:3/5 Uncut:4/5 Robert Christgau:B