POP/ROCK: Bruce Springsteen, "Wrecking Ball" (Columbia)

The Boss is at a crossroads. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons, the heart and soul of the E Street Band, died last summer. There was never a question of Springsteen going on. The only question is: With which musicians? "Wrecking Ball" features Clemons and drummer Max Weinberg on two tracks, but E Streeters Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Gary Tallent and Roy Bittan are nowhere to be found.

The Boss is working with a large cast of players and a new producer, Ron Aniello, whose credits include Lifehouse, Gavin DeGraw and Patti Scialfa. Springsteen has called this his "experimental" record because he's using loops, samples and other modern recording techniques, including a guest rapper. But "Ball" often sounds like a sequel to "Seeger Sessions" with the Irish-pub cry "Death to My Hometown," the hauntingly atmospheric but Celtic "This Depression" and the full-on mandolin-fueled, gospel-choir treatment of "Land of Hope and Dreams," a concert staple for the past decade or so. But, in its discussion of these hard times, "Wrecking Ball" feels like a sequel to 2002's post-9/11 "The Rising."

In the Springsteen tradition, there are songs here -- the celebratory horn-propelled title track and the prideful, almost patriotic "We Take Care of Our Own" -- that will resonate as anthems in concert. In other words, his protests/commentaries here are as heroically ebullient as "Born in the U.S.A." and as seethingly quiet as "Streets of Philadelphia." This collection makes more sense than 2009's utterly forgettable "Working on a Dream" because here the millionaire but blue-collar Boss is still fighting for what's right, true and fair. -JON BREAM, STAR TRIBUNE

R&B: Estelle, "All of Me" (Home School/Atlantic)

Estelle's third album feels like a loose conversation among friends about relationships, education, careers and more. Even with the light soul-jazz sound (produced in part by Questlove of the Roots), they have the feeling of intimate home recordings. It's the right move for this small and sometimes vague album. If "All of Me" is about any one thing, it's acceptance, as evidenced on the uplift-themed neo-soul songs: "Speak Ya Mind" and "Do My Thing," a duet with Janelle Monae.

Estelle recalls the young Lauryn Hill at times, especially on "Thank You." But the rest of this CD finds her trying on familiar poses, or unfamiliar ones that vex. The clunky, apocalyptic "International (Serious)" finds her dipping into patois while guests Chris Brown and Trey Songz dabble in rapping. "Break My Heart" is a slinky collaboration with Rick Ross that could have come from any of his recent albums. The song that comes closest to Estelle showing her true potential is "Cold Crush," a delicious slice of 1983-style R&B. But it's never cold because she sighs all over it, her voice sultry and a bit naughty. -JON CARAMANICA, NEW YORK TIMES