Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band released a brand new single today—the title track the from upcoming album, Working on a Dream. The song was offered as a free download on iTunes and brucesprinsteen.net today only, but you can still purchase this single, from tomorrow through Dec. 9 as well.

“Working on a Dream” begins with the signature Springsteen acoustic guitars, mellow drums, and a tight bass line that truly runs the intro—so far, an improvement from “Radio Nowhere,” the first single from Magic. However, the lyrics throughout the verses and choruses, as well as the melodies become highly redundant rather quickly. Clocking in at a short 3:24,  the track seems to end before it can roar into a rocking stadium anthem. The guitar solo [1:47] seems a bit lazy as it simply repeats the melody to the chorus, before transitioning the listener right back to the repetitive chorus of the song. Die-hard fanatics will dig this tune as they are amongst the most loyal in the world, while the occasional fans will not jump for this material like they did for The Rising. But the fact of the matter is Springsteen has absolutely nothing to prove these days—he is an amazing stage performer that does not have to push the envelope on new recordings. Unless of course, he feels compelled to once again rock the world like its 1978! 7/10

According to the press release, the 12-track album, Working on a Dream, is scheduled for release on Jan. 27 on Columbia records and is produced by Brendan O’Brien [Springsteen, Pearl Jam, AC/DC].

You can currently pre-order this album at amazon.com