The Rising is Bruce Springsteen’s first studio album with the entire E Street Band since his blockbuster hit Born in the U.S.A.. Inspired by the tragedy of 9/11 and the resilience of the human spirit to find a way through the darkness, Springsteen wrote some of the most emotionally intense songs of a career filled with them. From the opening tale of forging one’s way on “Lonesome Day” to the dark elegy for his beloved Asbury Park (and, by extension, New York City) in “My City of Ruins,” The Rising is a powerful drama backed by the finest sounding recording of the E Street Band to date, courtesy of elite producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine). A Sufi choir uses their healing voices for “Worlds Apart” before the drums and guitar nail down the melody with glorious rock ‘n’ roll. Drummer Max Weinberg is tough and firm as he cracks the tension in “Further On (Up The Road),” while Bruce finds empathy as the voice for the devastated on “Into the Fire” and “You’re Missing.”