Springsteen Releasing New Album

Bruce Springsteen confirmed a longstanding rumor Monday, announcing that he would indeed release a new album just in time for holiday shopping. “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” an acoustic set whose title track pays tribute to John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes Of Wrath,” is due in stores Nov. 21.

Said to be an “intimate collection,” “Joad” is a solo set, meaning there was no truth to gossip that he had reunited with his E Street Band for this project.

Band members are not expected to join Springsteen on the road this fall either. His acoustic tour of theaters is also planned strictly as a solo act. The stark approach recalls his 1982 album, “Nebraska.”

His itinerary will be released shortly, said his representatives at New York’s Shorefire Media. Local concert promoters confirmed Monday that the tour is in the planning stages.

In a career built on big, long-lasting shows in immense outdoor stadiums, Springsteen’s desire to scale into 2,000-to-4,000-seat theaters will put him in some of the smallest venues he has played since breaking through more than 20 years ago.