Music Review: Bruce Springsteen takes seven ‘Lost Albums’ off the shelf for a new box set

By David Bauder

Bruce Springsteen’s new project, “Tracks II: The Lost Albums,” is entirely about that age-old question: What if?

The box set, out June 27, comprises seven albums encompassing the period between 1983 and 2018, all but one he prepared to release in its time but ultimately shelved. Now that he’s decided to drop them simultaneously, they offer a fascinating alternative story of his musical life.

Building on its predecessor “Tracks,” 1998’s four-disc, 66-song collection of unreleased material, there are 83 songs here. While some slipped out on other projects — “My Hometown” and “Secret Garden” among them — the vast majority hadn’t been heard publicly. This is all fully completed material, not half-baked or half-finished outtakes. It’s not unusual for artists to leave songs — or even full-lengths — on the cutting-room floor, but multiple entire albums? Springsteen explains that he’s taken care releasing albums, looking to build a narrative arc for his career, and