Those who criticise The Boss for his extravagance, his larger than life attitude and his testosterone-filled music can get stuck right into Stripped Down, the new volume of his digital Live Series. Alone on stage with a guitar or a piano, Bruce Springsteen performs pared-down, no-frills versions of his songs in an up-close-and-personal style. New tones in his voice hit a sweet spot in our ears, particularly on the cover of his hit song Born to Run and even more so on The River, in which he launches into a rather surprising shamanic falsetto. Finally, it’s hard not to fall in love with a beauty like Cynthia (first released in 1998 in the Tracks box set), which sees The Boss become a good old rock ‘n’ roll rebel once more. These fifteen tracks listed in chronological order were recorded live in Europe and the United States between 1986-2005 and serve as a reminder of Springsteen’s first-rate songwriting ability. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz