By Taylor Long

Part of the reward for being a truly great musician who carries a career long past the average span is that, eventually, they reach a point where they are basically entitled to do whatever they want, and no one will put up a fuss. Bruce Springsteen, a man who greatly deserves his nickname of “The Boss,” reached this point a long time ago.

His 15th full-length album, Devils & Dust, sounds exactly like what you’d expect an album from an aging legend to sound like-a bit somber and very retrospective. But the good news is that it’s still, essentially, a true Springsteen album; the songs are comprised of beautiful song-writing and novel-worthy storytelling.

Not surprisingly, the opening title track captures the overall tone of the album. A soft, lightly strummed guitar piece, it poses the dilemma, “What if what you do to survive kills the things you love?” The guitar stays pretty quiet on all the songs, they never really go past a mid-tempo (“All The Way Home” and “Long Time Comin'” are the only ones that come close) and Springsteen’s vocals don’t reach the kind of shout you’d hear on his Greatest Hits collection. However, this mood has worked just fine for Springsteen in the past, and he still works it well.

Like his late ’70s/early ’80s work, the album is almost entirely dark, pessimistic storytelling. Though there’s nothing quite like “The River” or “Atlantic City” present, “The Hitter” and “Matamoros Banks” are acceptable nods to his capabilities. While “Reno,” the story of a night with a hooker in comparison to a former lover, seems a bit beneath him, he still manages to finish brilliantly, with the lines “she poured me another whiskey / said, ‘here’s to the best you ever had’ / we laughed and made a toast / it wasn’t the best I ever had / not even close.”

Springsteen’s expressive voice is still part of the magic that he works and in “Maria’s Bed” and “All I’m Thinkin’ About,” his voice sounds completely different than it ever has before.

For someone seeking an exemplary work by “The Boss,” this isn’t the right choice. But for someone who has appreciated Springsteen’s work-particularly The River and Nebraska-this is a compelling part of the career of a musical visionary.

In the end, listening to Devils & Dust is a lot like listening to an old relative. The story isn’t always pretty, and it’s a little sad to hear, but we listen-out of love and especially out of respect.

The Chronicle gives “Devils & Dust”, by Bruce Springsteen four out of five stars.