Bruce Springsteen brings us his 18th studio album with “High Hopes,” a collection of covers, outtakes and revisited works. With a career spanning over five decades, Springsteen’s constant musical evolution is present once again in his newest album.

Guitarist Tom Morello — of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and the Nightwatchman fame — appears on seven of the 12 tracks on the album. Morello has toured with Springsteen and the E Street Band as a guest and a fill-in for E Street guitarist Steve Van Zandt.

At first, I was skeptical about the addition of Morello as an honorary E Street member and guitarist on the album. I like his other works, but I feared his signature screaming guitar sound would be distracting when compared to the more classic sounding Springsteen.

Having seen Morello play live with Springsteen, I knew the two had great chemistry, and Springsteen listed Morello and his guitar as “muses” for this album. With those two thoughts in the back of my head, I kept an open mind and found that Morello was the perfect fit for this new album.

If you listen to only one song on this album, make sure it’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” The original version of the song was the title track from Springsteen’s 1995 album. Morello and Rage Against the Machine covered the song in 1997. On the “High Hopes” version, Morello and Springsteen trade off vocals, recreating the song. Morello’s wailing guitar solo makes it seem like Rage Against the Machine and the E Street Band have come together, and it’s pure magic.

Another key track is “Frankie Fell in Love.” It’s reminiscent of earlier Springsteen, with the vocals echoing “Johnny 99,” from 1982’s “Nebraska.” It’s a fun song and provides a light-hearted break from the darker songs, such as “American Skin (41 Shots).”

“American Skin (41 Shots),” was written in 2000 about the death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant who was fired at a combined 41 times by four police officers in New York City. The song is all too relevant to the recent deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, with poignant lyrics such as “Is it a gun, is it a knife, is it a wallet, this is your life/It ain’t no secret, it ain’t no secret, no secret my friend/You can get killed just for living in your American Skin.”

While it’s exciting Springsteen continues to make music and create a breathtaking live show, this album didn’t live up to its predecessor, 2012’s “Wrecking Ball.” There are strong tracks on the album, but also a few I would skip, like the title track. Springsteen is a living legend, and he shouldn’t be bogged down by vocal distortion, echo effects and an overpowering backing band.

Even though the album has weak spots, I would still recommend giving “High Hopes” a spin. Springsteen’s music catalog is so vast, and with this album providing  such a variety, surely there’s a song for everybody.

4 stars out of 5.