Depending on who the artist was, the "unplugged" trend of the 1990s (which found everyone from Kiss to L.L. Cool J playing acoustic) could be either interesting or forced and unnatural. For Springsteen, going acoustic usually brought excellent results. Sounding earthy and rootsy came naturally to the Boss, who is heard in an acoustic solo setting on Old Habits. This bootleg CD (which was recorded mostly at I.C.C. Concert Hall in Berlin, Germany on March 31, 1996) finds Springsteen being joined by nothing more than his own acoustic guitar, and the results are very folk-like. "Born in the U.S.A." (which gets a rural blues-type ambience), "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Streets of Philadelphia" lend themselves quite nicely to this unplugged setting, as do "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "Youngtown." Four equally appealing bonus tracks ("Balboa Park," "Sinaloa Cowboys," "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street" and "This Hard Land") come from a performance at Philadelphia's Tower Theatre on December 9, 1995. Recorded from the soundboard at both venues, Old Habits boasts fine sound quality as well as riveting and soulful performances. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide