Bruce Springsteen has offered up a fifth preview of his forthcoming box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums, a majestic acoustic ballad titled “Adelita” that was inspired by Mexican folk music. The track is from Inyo, one of the seven previously unheard albums featured on Tracks II.
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According to a press statement, Inyo is a 10-song collection Springsteen wrote while living in Southern California during the 1990s. His inspiration came during a series of motorcycle trips he took through the Southwest. The album features songs that reflect Bruce’s interest at that time in the history of the U.S. border states and Mexico, as well as then-contemporary events in the region.
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“There was constant border reporting in the Los Angeles Times, so it was a big part of your life,” Bruce recalled.
“Adelita” is an ode to the Mexican women known as “soldaderas,” who aided in the country’s fight for independence. The tune shares its theme with a popular Mexican “corrido”—a type of narrative folk ballad—called “La Adelita.”
“Adelita” is one of several songs on Inyo that feature Springsteen accompanied by a mariachi band. The group members are Luis Villalobos and Alberto Villalobos on violin, Angel Ramos on lute, Humberto Manuel Flores Gutierrez and Miguel Ponce on bass, David Glukh on trumpet, and Jorge Espinosa on harp.
Also contributing to the track were producer Ron Aniello on guitar and accordion and Barry Danielian on trumpet.
“Adelita” is available now via streaming services.
More About the Inyo Album
Inyo is a thematic collection of tunes mostly set in California and Texas, with one “detour” to Springsteen’s home state of New Jersey.
Discussing the album’s inspiration, Springsteen said, “Inyo was a record I wrote in California during long drives along the California aqueduct, up through Inyo County on my way to Yosemite or Death Valley.”
Bruce also noted that much of the material was written while he was on tour promoting his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad.
“I was enjoying that kind of writing so much,” he shared. “[While on tour,] I would go home to the hotel room at night and continue to write in that style because I thought I was going to follow up The Ghost of Tom Joad with a similar record, but I didn’t. That’s where Inyo came from. It’s one of my favorites.”
As explained in a press statement, some songs on Inyo focus on “how border crossing between Mexico and the U.S. has affected generations and the cultural losses endured as a result.”
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 Inyo, the box set features six other full-length albums: LA Garage Sessions ’83, Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Somewhere North of Nashville, 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 previous advance tracks released from the box set were “Rain in the River,” “Blind Spot,” “Faithless,” and “Repo Man.”
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,” “Faithless,” “Repo Man,” and “Adelita” are all featured on Lost and Found as well.
Springsteen’s 2025 Tour Plans
Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off 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 next show on the tour takes place Saturday, May 31, in Marseille, France.
(Photo by Danny Clinch)
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