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, movie-sized dread. He traded the arena for the campfire and won a folk Grammy for it. Put the headphones on and listen close.