If you don’t know who Bruce Springsteen is do yourself a favor and check out “Jungleland,” and brace yourself. One of the most influential songwriters in the past 40 years or so, Springsteen is best known for his records released in the mid ’70s to early ’90s. Though he fell from the lime light in subsequent years, he has continued to write some incredible tunes filled with desperation and hope. His latest effort “Wrecking Ball” follows similar themes that can be found on other Springsteen classics; small town heros, zeros and the bittersweet of life. The opening track “We Take Care Of Our Own” kicks off with that massive, stadium-rocking sound that “The Boss” is so well known for. With that classic thin telecaster sound and pounding simple rhythm this song could of come off any of those great Springsteen records from his heyday, with one hold up. The production wizardry at times steps out of line, but by the time the song is winding down the ship is righted with massive backing vocals weaving a uplifting finale. After the first track the record rolls right along with excellent pacing. The songs on this record were arranged tastefully, each leads into the next with a fluidity that shows The Boss can craft songs that fit together despite being different in style. The standout tune is by far the title track “Wrecking Ball.” When Springsteen sings “if you got the guts and you got the balls, I think its your time to step to the line and bring on your wrecking ball,” you can almost see that young man leaning slyly on the sax player from the cover of “Born To Run.” The only real knock on this record is the production, as previously mentioned, which seems to miss the mark at moments. At time some of the horns can sound a bit thin, while some of the background vocals seem to be a bit out of place on the mix. Conversely, it is dead on at other moments. For instance on “You’ve Got It” the feel is more like a group of musicians running through a loose rendition of a song they’ve played a million times. The stereoscape made on this track is raw and live. When Springsteen is shouting for the boys to take it up during the musical break a truly great moment is in the works. This is definitely one of those records that grows on you with subsequent listens. Jungleland is from Columbia Records