Because Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions isn't the staid covers collection most people expected, it's tempting to think it's better than it is. A mere year after the dour acoustic record Devils & Dust—which garnered the grudging praise "not as boring as The Ghost Of Tom Joad"—the prospect of Springsteen indulging his fondness for hootenanny oldies sounded about as tempting as a lengthy lecture on Mississippi soil deposits. But We Shall Overcome is genuinely rollicking, as Springsteen and his untamed jug-band orchestra play songs of faith and fear, formerly performed (though not written) by Pete Seeger. The sound of a dozen musicians picking and blowing all at once is a reminder of how community sustains and uplifts us, and Springsteen maintains a light spirit throughout, even updating the workingman's lament "Pay Me My Money Down" with the line, "I wish I was Mr. Gates / They'd haul my money in crates."