Bruce Springsteen,”Western Stars” (Columbia Records)- The release of a new Bruce Springsteen album may no longer be the major cultural event that it once was during the great man’s creative heyday in the seventies and eighties but he can still be relied upon to deliver the goods in no uncertain fashion whenever he makes one of his increasingly infrequent forays into the recording studio. The long awaited follow up to 2014’s “High Hopes” represents something of a musical departure for “The Boss” as he turns his back on the E Street Band for a while in order to indulge in a feast of lush string laden balladry that’s often rather reminiscent of Jimmy Webb’s work with Glen Campbell during the late sixties and early seventies. The subject matter of the songs remains pure Springsteen however, as you’ll discover for yourself if you lend an unbiased ear to prime cuts such as “The Wayfarer,” “Drive Fast” or “Moonlight Motel.”