Bruce Springsteen: Ranking His Albums From Worst To Best

15. Devils And Dust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLI3NQoRat4 Year Of Release: 2005 Key Tracks: Devils And Dust, Reno, The Hitter Devils and Dust starts off so, so well with the very strong title track. Devils and Dust is a stripped-down song about a troubled American soldier whose will and belief in God is tested when he sees his comrade dying 'in a field of blood and stone'. It's melancholic, powerful and thought-provoking stuff, for sure. If only the album could have sustained that level throughout. Again, some of the songs (including The Hitter and Long Time Comin') are leftovers from previous albums and, stylistically and thematically, it is quite similar to 1995's The Ghost of Tom Joad. It was a hit when it came out, debuting at No.1 but the hype quickly died down. Fans were not expecting a low-key acoustic effort after The Rising. Devils and Dust also sparked a little bit of controversy when Starbucks declined to sell copies of the album because of the racy nature of the lyrics to Reno and Bruce's decision to take on corporate politics. Springsteen also balked at the suggestion that he release a cobranded disc with the Starbucks logo smeared on the front cover.