Bruce Springsteen has debuted a third advance recording from his forthcoming archival box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums. “Faithless” is the title track of one of the seven previously unheard albums featured on the box set.
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In a new press release, the Faithless album is described as “long-lost film soundtrack” Springsteen composed for a “spiritual Western” movie that was never made. The delicate acoustic title track features folk, country, and gospel influences. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a faithless man who finds redemption in the love of a woman, or perhaps a higher power.
According to the press statement, Faithless was a collection of tunes that offered a “meditation on purpose, belief and acceptance.”
The album was recorded between the end of Springsteen’s “Devils & Dust” solo tour in November 2005 and the release of Bruce’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album in April 2006.
Faithless features 11 songs, including four instrumentals intended as interstitial pieces for the movie. Bruce wrote the tunes during a two-week period in Florida before any footage for the film was shot.
“This was a really unusual collection of songs,” Springsteen recalled. “You could recognize details and maybe a character or two. But for the most part, I just wrote atmospheric music that I thought would fit.”
Faithless was mainly recorded by Bruce solo, with additional appearances from producer Ron Aniello and current E Street Band touring members Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Curtis King Jr., Michelle Moore, and Ada Dyer. Springsteen’s wife, longtime E Street Band backing singer Patti Scialfa, also contributed to the album, as did their sons Evan and Sam.
More About Faithless
Springsteen has posted another quote about the Faithless album on his social media pages and the LostAlbums.net webpage.
“Faithless was a piece of work I took (on commission) for a spiritual Western film that was preparing to be made around 2004,” he notes. “In Hollywood, I have found, you can disappear into ‘development’ for long periods of time, so I thought I would release these now and let you hear my results of this interesting project.”
The social media post is accompanied by a series of black-and-white photos of Bruce in what looks like the California desert, as well as images of the barren landscape. The pics appear to be from around the time that Bruce recorded Faithless.
The cover art for the album also has been revealed. It features a black-and-white image of an upside-down cross reflected in the water.
The song “Faithless” is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.
More About the Tracks II Box Set
As previously reported, Tracks II: The Lost Albums will be released on June 27. The seven albums featured in the package include recordings spanning from 1983 through 2018.
Besides Faithless, the albums are titled LA Garage Sessions ’83, Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Somewhere North of Nashville, Inyo, Twilight Hours, and Perfect World.
The package features more than 80 songs in all, 74 of which have never been heard before.
Tracks II, which can be pre-ordered now, is available as a limited-edition nine-LP set, a seven-CD collection, and via digital formats. The physical versions of the box set come with a 100-page hardcover book that includes rare photos, liner notes about each album, and an introduction by Springsteen.
The first advance track released from the box set was “Rain in the River,” which appears on Perfect World. The epic-sounding rock tune was recorded in 1994 at the same time Springsteen was working on Streets of Philadelphia Sessions.
The second advance tune is titled “Blind Spot,” and it’s featured on the Streets of Philadelphia Sessions album.
A companion album to Tracks II, titled Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums, also will be released June 27. The 20-song collection will be available on CD and as a two-LP set. “Rain in the River,” “Blind Spot,” and “Faithless” are all featured on Lost and Found as well.
Springsteen’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Springsteen and the E Street Band will launch a 2025 European tour on May 14 in Manchester, U.K. The 16-date trek is mapped out through a July 3 concert in Milan, Italy.
The tour includes makeup dates for several concerts that were postponed in 2024, when Bruce was experiencing some vocal trouble.
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