release date: Apr. 7, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,63]
producer: "The Volume Dealers" [Neil Young and Niko Bolas]
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada
Track highlights: 1. "When the Worlds Collide" - 3. "Just Singing a Song" - 4. "Johnny Magic" - 5. "Cough Up the Bucks" - 10. "Fork in the Road"
30th studio album by Neil Young is a sort of return to basics, electrified, as a kind of Ragged Glory, part 2, which it really isn't as it's also without Crazy Horse. But basically, there are simply too few great tunes for that, but the energy is here as well as the scarce instrumentation with the Fender sound on top - and that's where my point about Ragged Glory comes from.
Critics seem divided on this. The album was met by fine and favourable reviews but also timid to quite poor reviews.
The album is not really a recommended release unless you are a rather big fan, but it's not as bad as argued by The Times who gave it 1 / 5 stars.
[ allmusic.com 3,5, Blender, Uncut 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, The Guardian 2 / 5 stars ]
