Human Touch

Having disbanded The E Street Band to see what he could come up with on his own in the ‘90s, Bruce Springsteen explored smoother rock and pop. Keyboardist Roy Bittan stayed, adding warm synthetic textures to the insightful title track and the positively heartstopping “I Wish I Were Blind,” where one can hear the skies open in the final return as Bruce sings: “And though the world is filled with the grace and beauty of God’s hand/Oh I wish I were blind.” Sam Moore of Sam & Dave adds backing vocals to “Soul Driver,” “Real World,” and “Man’s Job.” Mark Isham puts his trademark trumpet phrasing to the irresistible “With Every Wish.” “Cross My Heart” pulses like a film noir. “Gloria’s Eyes” features flashes of Springsteen’s underrated guitar work. Yet the lack of The E Street Band impacts the overall feel, and songs such as “The Long Goodbye,” “Man’s Job,” and “All or Nothin’ at All,” while plenty strong, miss the group’s identity.