Bruce SpringsteenThe Ghost of Tom Joad

Fingerpicked guitar, a weathered near-whisper, and the occasional accordion or harmonica — this is Springsteen alone in the dark, sending dispatches from desert highways and dying mill towns. The title track carries Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie into the 1990s; "Youngstown" mourns a collapsed steel valley; "Sinaloa Cowboys" and "The Line" trace immigrants and border agents through quiet, cinematic dread. He traded the arena for the campfire and won a folk Grammy for it. Put the headphones on and listen close.