Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Bruce Springsteen has never been afraid of taking risks when it comes to his music. Following the success of his double-album The River in 1980, he abruptly changed direction and released Nebraska, a spare, solo effort that hinted at forays he would make into folk music in the years to come. He then returned to all-out rock, releasing the mega-hit Born in the USA in 1984.

After the success of his 9/11-inspired album The Rising in 2002, he once again turned to a folk sound with Devils and Dust in 2005. Traditional wisdom would dictate that the next release would be another album with the E Street Band, but this time Springsteen took what may have been the biggest risk of his career instead. In 2006, he released We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, a collection of traditional songs either written by Pete Seeger or recorded by him early in his career.

At first glance, Releasing a CD of traditional folk songs and spirituals at a time when the Pussycat Dolls and Beyonce rule the airwaves seems doomed to fail, but the combination of Springsteen, an outstanding group of supporting musicians, and a new take on songs many of us remember from elementary school music classes has been a huge hit. Earlier this month, it won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album, and continues to sell well almost a year after its release.

The Seeger Sessions is, without a doubt, an outstanding album. Recorded live at Springsteen's farm in New Jersey during three separate sessions, the band plays as if they have been together for years. There is no filler in this collection; especially notable are the rollicking "Pay Me My Money Down", and the upbeat spiritual "O Mary Don't You Weep." And given Springsteen's now well-known views on the Iraq War and the Bush Administration, his version of the classic "We Shall Overcome" takes on a new urgency.