(CNN) Rock 'n roll might be a young person's game, but Bruce Springsteen shows no signs of slowing down as he hits his 70th birthday, and indeed has exhibited an appetite to expand his creative horizons. So he follows the Netflix special capturing his Broadway show with "Western Stars," a deeply personal film performing songs from his latest album, which also marks his debut as a director. It is, clearly, a valentine for hardcore "Bruuuuuce" fans, but one that does an effective job of both showcasing the material and connecting the songs in a thematic way, supporting an album that Springsteen describes near the outset as a meditation on "the struggle between individual freedom and communal life." Bruce Springsteen in 'Western Stars'The experience is undeniably intimate, even through the medium of film. As a nostalgic bonus, Springsteen plays a cover of Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy," which underscores the musical influences at work here, adding to a legacy that hardly needed any further embellishment.

Source: CNN October 23, 2019 19:07 UTC