Soul music, for Bruce Springsteen, was the sound of growing up on the Jersey Shore in the 60s and 70s. 
"Every show band, Soul band, top 40 band, all came to the Jersey Shore to make money in the summer, playing in the summer clubs up and down the beach," he tells Tom Power, on a new episode of Q. "We were inundated with music that had horns, and soul music and Motown." 
Springsteen's new album, Only the Strong Survive, pays tribute to that time in his life with covers of 15 soul music tracks from the '60s and '70s — some classic hits from singers like the Temptations and Jimmy Ruffin to some deep cuts. For Springsteen, who is known for his big rock sound, the album is a chance to focus on his voice and connect to the sound that originally inspired him to become a musician. 
https://www.cbc.ca/arts/bruce-springsteen-s-new-album-of-soul-classics-celebrates-the-songs-that-made-him-a-musician-1.6650836