I try not to revisit cover artists very often, because there are so many great Springsteen covers out there by performers who deserve more visibility and airplay.
But I find myself making an exception for Lorenzo Bertocchini, who makes his third appearance here on the Shuffle today (although one was for his original “Hey Bruce” composition).
Today’s cover comes from Lorenzo’s 2009 tribute album, Hearts of Stone, and one look at the tracklist (which includes deep cuts like “Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own,” “Cindy,” and “Sugarland”) tells you that this is a production of a true and deep fan.
Today, we’ll listen to my favorite track on the album, Lorenzo’s beautiful interpretation of “Linda Let Me Be The One.”
Lorenzo strips away the Spectorian production of Bruce’s original, but he manages to retain all the romance via a beautifully arranged acoustic band performance.
Interestingly, he’s clearly inspired by the bootleg outtake that circulated for years before Bruce finally released a finished cut on Tracks in 1998–we can tell from his use of the distinctive “Linda will you heyyyyyy let me be the one” hallmark of the bootleg track.
Tribute albums can be hit or miss, and I generally don’t make it a practice to recommend them. In this instance, though, I have no reservations. Check out Hearts of Stone, and you won’t be disappointed, and for more of Lorenzo’s great Springsteen covers, see his wonderful duet with Elizabeth Lee on “Be True.”
