Dead Man's Town: A Tribute to Born In the U.S.A.

Originally released in June 1984, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. turned the artist into a superstar with seven U.S. Top 10 singles. To mark the album’s 30th anniversary, this tribute album to the album itself presents a variety of alt-country folks doing their best with songs that have been largely etched into people’s memories, presented in the album’s exact running order. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires opt to cover the version of the title track that Springsteen himself had demoed for his previous album, Nebraska. That version lacks the song's central riff and patriotic pump; in its place it serves up a ghostly blues more in keeping with the lyrics. The North Mississippi Allstars nail down the closer, “My Hometown,” with an honest country-rock jangle. In between, The Quaker City Night Hawks turn out “Darlington County” as a classic heartland rocker. Joe Bug retains the emotional punch of "Downbound Train.” Nicole Atkins turns “Dancing in the Dark” into a simmering, steamy appeal to do more than dance.