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Rock
Published:
2021
Record label:
Reprise / Warner Music
«Neil for better or worse.»
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ALBUM: Neil Percival Young turned 76 a month ago, but is still productive and forward as a hungry teenager in the start-up phase. And – together with the old backing band Crazy Horse, he also makes it sound a bit like some boys practicing in the garage, or in this case a barn in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado.
It is reckless and quite unstructured. It may seem that the producers The Volume Dealers (Neil Young and Niko Bolas) have contented themselves with one take of each song, without rewinding to check how the result was.
Surrete
Crazy Horse has followed Neil every now and then since his second album, “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” (1969), and it has been read and decided that it should be messy, shabby and noisy. And they sound about the same as 52 years ago, but there must be limits to what the ears can withstand. Occasionally this becomes quite murky, as if it is the first rehearsal and not finished recording.
Review: Old Neil rocker with the young guys
Guitarist Neil
Ralph Molina (drums) and Billy Talbot (bass) have been around since 1969, while Nils Lofgren has been an occasional guest since he played on “After The Gold Rush” (1970) as a 17-year-old.
E Street guitarist Lofgren is listed as a multi-instrumentalist, but is it Neil himself who does the “rough work” as a shabby solo guitarist on “Children”? In that case, it will be like when Bob Dylan has insisted on playing electric guitar live even though he has had far better electric guitarists in his band.
This greatly contributes to the fact that they sound like a bunch of boys who have fun overriding the guitars they have bought by mail order. Neil himself occasionally sings like a “crow”, especially «Shape Of You», and his harmonica often sounds slightly sour. It can work live, but on the record there should be other requirements. But it’s sweet when he sings about his actress wife Daryl Hannah: «You changed my life for the better / Wore my love like your favorite sweater» (!).
Lack of quality control
Time and time again in recent years, Neil has proven to everyone that he uncritically releases too much of the music he records. He has retired quality control. The bottom line was reached with the “Peace Trail” (2016), while I felt that he with «The Visitor» (2017) and more subdued “Colorado” (2019), the first album with Crazy Horse in seven years, at least was back on track. In between these, old studio and live recordings have also been released – such as. «Homegrown» (2020).
Now it can not get worse, Neil?
“Children” takes up the competition with “Peace Trail”, but is still not without bright spots. As on the last records, the opening is promising. «Song Of The Seasons» with Lofgren on accordion and Neil on harmonica and acoustic guitar could have been recorded in the 70’s. Rude it too, but approved.
On subsequent «Heading West» turned up the volume – a very typical Crazy Horse song about when he broke up and went west with mum – and got his first guitar. I love both noise and a potent Crazy Horse “rockin ‘in the free world” on a good day, and this is “moderate noise”, but on parts of the album it just gets a little painful to listen to.
Political rock
Neil has often been political, in recent years especially on the climate side. «Change Ain’t Never Gonna Come» is a kick against the “oil-burning mob”.
The Canadian became a US citizen to be able to vote Donald Trump out of the presidency, and in «Canerican» (funny new word) he says that he has now got “her husband” – and that the changes are starting to come to the country. Optimist there, at least!
Strolling
«They Might Be Lost» is a “mitigating circumstance”, but they “catch up” in the pessimistic and overly messy rocker «Human Race», again with heavily overridden guitar. Some will of course think that it is Neil and Crazy Horse at their best. It is at least the “Canarian” at his most energetic and aggressive, and the slogan-driven message is important enough:
«Today no one cares
Tomorrow no one shares
(…)
Who’s gonna save the human race
Where are the children gonna run and hide
Children of the fires and the floods
today’s people have left behind
Who’s gonna tell the children of destiny
that we didn’t try to save the world for them».
Back on track
Acoustic
Neil & Co. recovers in acoustic «Tumblin’ Thru The Years», with a strolling piano as a basic accompaniment and musical lines far back and a reclining one «Welcome Back», just over eight minutes with a rough but more disciplined and comfortable guitar. Both are among the album’s best.
«Don’t Forget Love» Neil finally encourages, a positive but forgettable song with a simple and banal message. But he really does not do much for us to maintain the love affair with his music, until he is far too uncritical of what he releases.
A film of the same title, directed by Daryl Hannah, will be released on Blu-ray.
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