Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run (Simon & Schuster)

SPRINGSTEEN. THE BOSS. Bruuuuuce. A lot of hyperbolic ink has been spilled over this man through the years, so I'm going to walk it back a little and say that, at base level, Bruce Springsteen is a songwriter whose grasp of musical and lyrical economy is unusual in the often excessive world of rock 'n' roll. His catalog boasts a number of tight, enduring records: Born to Run, The River, Nebraska, Born in the USA, and The Rising, among others.