Bruce Springsteen

“I want a thousand guitars / I want pounding drums,” sings Bruce Springsteen on his new album “Magic,” echoing the sentiments of fans dissatisfied with his recent studio releases. Springsteen hasn’t released a straight-ahead rock album since 2002’s “The Rising,” making folkier albums like “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” and “Devils & Dust” instead. Despite their critical success, it’s impossible not to yearn for what The Boss does best: cranking out rock anthems like “Thunder Road” and “Born in the U.S.A.” Lucily, with “Magic,” Bruce returns with the E Street Band for 13 tracks swollen with keyboards, violins, saxophones, and, of course, guitars and drums.

“Magic” kicks off with one of Springsteen’s best singles in recent memory. “Radio Nowhere” is one of the catchiest songs released this year, highlighting the return of a full backing band with a blazing guitar riff, saxophone solo, and wall-of-sound production. The lyrics, which trot out old Springsteen themes like the search for identity and longing for excitement, are not particularly inspired, but there’s no denying the song’s instant gratification potential.

“Radio Nowhere” sets the pace for the next two rockers. “You’ll Be Coming Down” features a drumbeat reminiscent of “Dancing in the Dark,” while the horns and swagger on “Livin’ in the Future” recall “The E Street Shuffle” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out.”

Towards the middle of the album, the tempo slows a bit. “Your Own Worst Enemy” sounds remarkably like late-’90s R.E.M., which isn’t surprising considering Springsteen and R.E.M. toured together in support of John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004. The crescendo of vocals and violins never reaches the emotional height it aspires to, and the song comes off as pleasant but jarringly un-Bosslike. “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” is another departure from the norm, an attempted fusion of Beach Boys pop and stadium rock that results in the album’s worst track.

Springsteen has spent much of the past decade rallying opposition to the Bush administration, but “Magic” is relatively apolitical. The only blatant protest song is “Last to Die,” featuring the chorus “Whose blood will spill / Whose heart will break / Who’ll be the last to die for our mistake.” “Gypsy Biker,” “Livin’ in the Future,” and “Long Walk Home,” also contain allusions to politics and war but they’re much more subtle. The focus is clearly on the music rather than the message.

“Long Walk Home” is the standout track, featuring everything that’s great about Springsteen and his band. The song starts with acoustic guitar and Bruce’s vivid lyrics, rich with neighborhood nostalgia: “I could smell the same deep green of summer / Above me the same night sky was glowin’ / In the distance I could see the town where I was born.” Suddenly, the track picks up as the drums and piano kick in. Bruce’s guitar and Clarence Clemons’ saxophone both issue solos which complement the simple but powerful refrain, “Hey pretty darling, don’t wait up for me / It’s gonna be a long walk home.”

It almost goes without saying that “Magic” does not live up to the standards set by “Born To Run,” “Greetings From Asbury Park,” or any of the several other classic Springsteen records that rank among the greatest of all time. Regardless, “Magic” is full of highly enjoyable rock songs, the kind that will make for a phenomenal live show. And from a man who’s been continuously releasing great music since 1973, that’s more than enough.