release date: Nov. 4, 2014
format: digital (20 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,05]
producer: The Volume Dealers (aka Neil Young and Niko Bolas)
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada
35th studio album by Neil Young and his second in 2014 both showcases a stripped down solo version of ten new songs as well as the same songs in big band arrangements with Young singing on all tracks and a full orchestra backing him live with strings, brass and choir. This is indeed a long way from A Letter Home - and to say even most other albums by Neil Young - and stylistically, it's difficult to narrow down as Young mostly sings in his traditional folkish and bluesy singer / songwriter style with a full orchestra backing him up without or with only a few traditional rock band instruments. The album has been released in a 2-disc CD and vinyl formats with the first record - the best! - being Young solo and the other containing big band arrangements. There's an electric guitar in some places and a bass and whatever, and some tracks are held in a stronger blues or folk tradition by putting emphasis on the use of a guitar or by being less dominating, but it still feels strange when a song kicks in as some movie-theme ballad from "When Harry Met Sally", only to be interrupted by Neil Young's fragile singing voice, but that basically only matters on the orchestrated arrangements, and that's eh, somewhat odd. The first solo songs is a fine extension to his vast repertoire, although, you could argue that many songs tend to sound like brushed-up material from his 1970s acoustic heydays. Perhaps his new-found romantic love to actress Daryl Hannah is reflected in many of the songs, most evidently echoed in "I'm Glad I found You" and "When I Watch You Sleeping" but also in other songs with less obvious titles you'll find many lines reflecting soft sentiments. Young has been quite productive writing songs after his and Pegi's break-up, and with a new-found romance, it's possible that he has been eager to put a lot of material down. at least, this album is one of his more love-oriented ones, and the first solo versions of these ten songs are quite easily the best. Later on in Young's discography, Hannah is often credited various post-production roles (first as 'dhlovelife' from 2017, later under her own name) and this very album appears to be his first after the split from Pegi Young on which Hannah isn't credited.
Listening to this affair in one long take hasn't been possible for me. And yes, he may have been indisposed in getting together with his production team to settle with the right idea and this is what he decided! I think, he may just have gone along with a new idea of his skipping any consulting process. "What the heck! What's there to lose!?!, he would've said. "The album, the idea will sell itself!! And... I don't know what to do with the money anyhow."
Not one of his best but there are some fine tracks, nevertheless, which often is the case when speaking of this great songwriter.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, Slant 2,5 / 5 stars ]
