Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska"

Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s ”Nebraska” is an album in which low-wattage luminaries shed a little light on Springsteen’s dark night of the soul. Suitably barren soundscapes accompany most of these tracks, from Ani DiFranco’s murky ”Used Cars” to Son Volt’s deflated ”Open All Night.” Hank Williams III is a direct link to one of Springsteen’s biggest inspirations; another, Johnny Cash, sifts the embers of ”I’m on Fire,” one of three songs Bruce originally recorded for Nebraska, but released later. As tributes go — not well, generally — the way this one hangs together reaffirms the original album’s near-perfection. B