At its best, this capacious grab-bag of 83 songs, some dating back to the 1980s, yields not just good music, but songs that seem unlike anything else Springsteen has ever done. This is FRESH AIR.

2024 was widely viewed as a thrilling year for mainstream hits. 2025, not even close. “There haven’t been too many big moments,” says Nima Etminan, COO of Empire, the independent label that signed ...