Bruce SpringsteenPlugged

Springsteen famously broke MTV's Unplugged format. He played one acoustic song ('Red Headed Woman'), then plugged in for the rest with his new touring band. Muscular, soul-inflected rock with R&B rhythms and gospel-tinged backing vocals. 'Thunder Road' is performed as a haunting, bare piano solo. Stripped to its emotional skeleton. A more ethnically diverse backing band brought a looser, funkier energy than the E Street Band, with more swing. Springsteen's first major project without the E Street Band, and a proving ground for both the new musicians and the polarizing Human Touch/Lucky Town material.