Journalists and critics in Paris had the opportunity to get a first listen to Bruce Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball, this week. Yeah, I'm jealous, but I'm putting that aside to give you the scoop here, because we've got a much better idea of what to expect when this thing drops next month.

Wrecking Ball, it seems, is definitely a hybrid mix of folk, rock, gospel and soul. And, like so many of Springsteen's best albums, it speaks to the times, blasting away at those who've wrecked the economy (and continue to do so), while others suffer the consequences of those actions.I found some awesome nuggets for you. First: A track by track analysis by brilliant music critic Neil McCormick in The Telegraph. If you're starving for info on Wrecking Ball, this is a gold mine. Also, I enjoyed this piece by Andy Gill in The Independent. He offers some great insights about Wrecking Ball, comparing the album's title track, "We Take Care of Our Own," to "Born In the USA." He's spot on, in my opinion.

Here's a fantastic video from Paris, that features Bruce talking at length about his vision for Wrecking Ball. Oh, and also? You can hear brief snippets of FOUR songs on the album: "Easy Money," "Wrecking Ball," "Jack of All Trades" and "Shackled and Drawn."

As Bruce says, Wrecking Ball is heavy on folk and gospel music. The album seems to draw from folk of years gone by, but it also includes a more modern, rock edge.

Springsteen also talks about the loss of his saxophonist and close friend, Clarence Clemons, saying it was like "losing something elemental." That's definitely how it felt to fans, but I can't imagine how hard this has been for Bruce himself. In the video, you can clearly hear Clarence blasting away on "Land of Hope and Dreams." Anyone else get chills? Yeah, me too.