The Boss Works Old, New 'Magic'

In an era of has-been acts making a mockery of themselves, Bruce Springsteen rolls out his fourth album in five years—a poppy album with steely political undertones that proves he's as relevant as ever. Magic drops sugar-coated bombs on the Bushies, the New York Times' A.O. Scott writes, and the Boss is taking his E-Street Band polemic on world tour.

The next chapter in The Rising's post-9/11 reflection, Magic asks, “Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake?” "In the past I wanted to make sure that my music was tough enough for the stories I was going to tell," said Springsteen. Now, he's chosen pop to tell one of his toughest stories yet. (More Bruce Springsteen stories.)