Well, I'm not that thrilled to be honest. The music's very Bruce, which is a good thing (if you like Bruce, obviously). The lyrics are ... well, let's just say Bruce has Iraq on his mind these days. There are a number of songs that refer to the Iraq war. One of them, Devil's Arcade, is my favorite on the album.
The other over-riding theme is that Bruce is a cranky old so and so. And, the lightest song on the album, Girls In Their Summer Clothes, had me thinking, "Gee, Bruce. Aren't you a little old to be ogling young girls on the boardwalk these days"? Maybe I'm just getting old.
And, then there's I'll Work For Your Love, which has some pretty odd religious imagery:
- And I'll watch the bones in your back like the Stations of the Cross …
- The pages of Revelation lie open in your empty eyes of blue …
- Well tears, they fill the rosary at your feet, my temple of bones …
Maybe Magic will grow on me; I've only had one listen (other than I'll Work For Your Love). I can't picture myself listening to this in the car singing along. Right now I'm not even sure I'll buy it, which is saying something.
