When this opens, if you didn't believe the reviews that this Jersey band would remind you of Springsteen, you'll start to change your mind by the 0:15 mark and find the comparisons inescapable by the 0:28 point (you might hear a little Chris Daughtry, too). So gritty. Feel like I should've ordered a shot and a beer before plugging in. There's punk in this too, though, and that keeps it flattering to Springsteen without being imitation. Consistent, thick, authenticity throughout. But the personality fades a little as the album goes on, so it's a little top-heavy.

"American Slang" - the title track. Doesn't get much more blue collar than these two verses about those "left with gallows" while the "fortunes came for the richer men." It's an accepting heartache. It's not about people who've given in, but it's also not about people celebrating excess. It's about the people in the middle - the people who've been told and learned "fortunes in American slang."

"Stay Lucky" - and we're off to the races, with nostalgia at the finish line. Something about "what you don't have, you don't need it anymore" reminds me of something (maybe "Beautiful Day" by U2 - "what you don't have you don't need it now").

"Bring It On" - because while she's blinded by the "cool he sings to [her] in those songs," you ask for "the children [she] don't want to raise."

"The Diamond Church Street Choir" - great classic rock sound. Would be a great fit for a jukebox.

"The Spirit of Jazz" - because she's "slow like Motown soul" and for what lies behind "not another soul can love you like my rotten bones do."