Anyone who has ever saw
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
between 1975 and 1981 knows one of the reasons they were among the best live bands in America is they had three members with the power and charisma to make great frontmen --
Springsteen
,
Clarence Clemons
, and
"Miami Steve" Van Zandt
. In 1982, while
was laboring over
Born in the U.S.A
.,
Van Zandt
-- who'd already proved his considerable chops as a producer, songwriter, and arranger working with
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
and
Gary U.S. Bonds
-- stepped away from
the E Street Band
to launch a solo project,
Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul
, and in many ways the first
Little Steven
album,
Men Without Women
, is the finest album
the Asbury Jukes
never made. Like
the Jukes
best work,
blends the muscle and swagger of Jersey shore
rock & roll
with the horn-fueled heart and soul of classic
R&B
, and here
was willing to push himself further in both directions at once. With a five-piece horn section blazing throughout (featuring
Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg
leading a crew of former
Jukes
brass players) and former
Rascals
Dino Danelli
Felix Cavaliere
on hand, this album's
blue-eyed soul
credentials are unimpeachable, but
's guitar (and
Jean Beauvior
's bass) speak with the sound and fury of a true
roots rock
rebel. While
's songwriting was always impressive,
's best moments expressed a degree of passion, vulnerability, and determined fervor he hadn't quite permitted himself in the past (he also began to express the political concerns that would dominate his later work on
"Under the Gun"
), and if
was a less precise vocalist than
"Southside" Johnny Lyon
, the gritty sincerity and emotional force of his performances more than made up for it. On
Little Steven & the Disciples
merged the brassy swing of a classic
Motown
side with the sweaty blare of a amped-up
garage
band, and if that sounds like an odd combination, in both
soul
garage rock
, commitment is what counts, and
had that to spare -- along with a set of really great songs. ~ Mark Deming