Bruce Springsteen to release new R&B covers album 'Only The Strong Survive'

Bruce Springsteen is set to make his return on November 11th with a brand new album of classic soul and R&B covers. Only The Strong Survive will see The Boss put his own spin on hits by the likes of The Commodores, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross and the Supremes.

The 15-song album will also include renditions of The Temptations’ ‘I Wish it Would Rain’, The Four Tops’ ‘When She Was My Girl’, The Walker Brothers’ ‘The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore’, Jerry Butler’s ‘Western Union Man’ and Jimmy Ruffin’s ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?’ Springsteen pulled the name of his new offering from Jerry Byttler’s 1968 classic ‘Only The Strong Survive’, which is also given the Bruce treatment.

To keep fans placated while they wait, Springsteen has shared a new cover of ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ by Frank Wilson. It arrives alongside a music video directed by Thom Zimny. Discussing the new project in a recent video message. Springsteen said: “This time, I decided to do something I’ve never done before: make some music that’s centred around singing, around challenging my voice.”

Only The Strong Survive is Bruce Springsteen’s 21st studio album and his first since 2020’s Letter to You. This year, the singer-songwriter is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his beloved sixth studio album Nebraska, which is set for a special vinyl reissue for Vinyl Me, Please’s Essential Record of the Month this October.

Springsteen, who recently became a grandfather, is also set to embark on a reunion tour with his E-Street Band in 2023. You can check out the full tracklist for Only The Strong Survive below.

1. ‘Only The Strong Survive’ (Jerry Butler)
2. ‘Soul Days’ (Dobie Gray)
3. ‘Night Shift’ (The Commodores)
4. ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ (Frank Wilson)
5. ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ (The Walker Brothers)
6. ‘Turn Back The Hands of Time’ (Tyrone Davis)
7. ‘When She Was My Girl’ (The Four Tops)
8. ‘Western Union Man’ (Jerry Butler)
9. ‘I Wish It Would Rain’ (The Temptations)
10. ‘Don’t Play That Song’ (Aretha Franklin)
11. ‘Any Other Way’ (Jackie Shane)
12. ‘I Forgot To Be Your Lover’ (William Bell)
13. ‘Rooms of Gloom’ (The Four Tops)
14. ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’ (Jimmy Ruffin)
15. ‘Someday We’ll Be Together’ (Diana Ross and The Supremes)