Neil Young "The Monsanto Years" (2015)

The Monsanto Years
release date: Jun. 29, 2015
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Neil Young & John Hanlon
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "A New Day for Love" - 3. "People Want to Hear About Love" (live) - 6. "Workin' Man" (live) - 8. "Monsanto Years" (live)


36th studio album by Neil Young released as 'Neil Young + The Promise of the Real' is something as antique as a protest album. The band 'Lukas & Promise of the Real' is made up of frontman Lukas Autry Nelson (son of Willie Nelson) on guitar & backing vocals, Corey McCormick on bass, Tato Melgar on percussion & backing vocals and with Anthony Logerfo on drums. Furthermore the band feature Lukas' brother Micah Nelson on electric guitar, electric charango and on backing vocals.
Stylistically, it's nothing new as they play country rock and folk rock. Some of the songs a more hard rock-shaped and mostly just sound like Young with Crazy Horse. Apparently, Young's long-time friendship with the Nelson family bound them stronger together after the 2014 Farm Aid project and paved the way for a collaboration album.
The protest thing here is against the American agricultural corporation Monsanto, which has found itself involved in many controversies - on the American continent, in Asia and in Europe most of which apparently dealing with the company's role in the handling of chemical waste and pesticides, and its production of GMO-related (Gene-Modified) crops and seeds as well as PCB-material. All of which sounds pretty nasty.
Anyway, the album turns out a bit like Neil Young has landed his freight ship on a subject that has caught his attention. He is a farmer - or: he is running a farm and has been preoccupied with ecological farming and ideas of 'green' products throughout the years. He has also been working on making car engines run on various types of energy, and in my mind, he sort of does whatever he wants. Lately, he has been highly productive musically - putting lots of energy into releasing new material, as if he ponders on when to leave the planet, and whenever something crosses his path, he puts "the plane down" and deals with it before taking off to another project that make him turn his head. This is a bit like that. Having been involved in Farm Aid, he perhaps felt like he needed to pay tribute to that idea by releasing a studio album in that "ballgame". And here it is!
The album mostly gained positive reviews, although, I don't find it that good and feel much like Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone. The great songs are absent and at best some compositions sound much like Neil with Crazy Horse, but others just sound like old-school protest songs without much else to offer than some lines about what Monsanto did wrong, which make me think more of Neil's old collaborative project-band CSNY - as they didn't always find the common ground. Having said that, Neil is Neil Young, and he can do whatever he wants in this world, and this is a project that he engages in and that ain't bad.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Storytone" (2014)

Storytone
release date: Nov. 4, 2014
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,35]
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 is a big band music / orchestrated album with Young singing and a full orchestra backing him live with strings, brass and choir while recording the arrangements. This is a long way from A Letter Home - not to say anything else 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. Yeah, there's a electric guitar in some places and 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. It's... odd. And frankly, too strange for my liking.
I won't say I'll never get to appreciate this. I've been wrong before with Neil Young. Perhaps when I'm hanging in there at 78 or 88 I will start to like it. For now, I doubt it. It's simply an odd experiment, 'cause that's also what it is, and these recent years Young does seem to have come to a point where he just jumps into the water without too much thinking or asking about a project's validity. I think, he just goes along with that new idea of his and skips the consulting process. "What the heck! What's there to lose?! The album, the idea will sell itself!! And... I don't know what to do with the money anyhow."
I really can't find any tracks to highlight from this album, and I simply do not find it anything but mediocre - and sometimes hardly even that. Boy, when Neil Young misses he makes sure we all know, but that's how it is with this genius 'cause very often - not to say mostly - he hits a lot better than most.
Not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, Slant 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "A Letter Home" (2014)

A Letter Home
release date: Apr. 19, 2014
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Jack White and Neil Young
label: Third Man / Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Changes" (live) - 3. "Girl From the North Country" - 4. "Needle of Death" - 5. "Early Morning Rain" (live) - 7. "Reason to Believe" - 9. "If You Could Read My Mind" - 12. "I Wonder If I Care as Much"

34th studio album by Neil Young released on Jack White's label Third Man Records and recorded using a 1947 recording booth-device named Voice-O-Graph, which in the day (would be found all over the country up until the 1970s) was introduced to the ordinary man as a possibility to record his / her own record of a message or song directly onto vinyl. This particular device has been re-established at White's Nashville headquarter of Third Man Records, and the whole album has been recorded using the technique of the Voice-O-Graph.
I think, one has to dig into the idea behind this album to be able to appreciate it. Against his normal writing process, Young has covered familiar and classic songs by various artists of various styles and decades including artists like The Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch and Bruce Springsteen. Most of the tracks are played solely by Young playing guitar, harmonica and piano. Jack White contribute on guitar, piano and with backing vocals on two tracks. Because of the recording process, all tracks have been recorded in one take and without any post-processing, i.e. dubbing, mixing, mastering, which has its obvious limitations but also a unique form. Songs are country, traditional folk and singer / songwriter material and the most apparent common denominator is naturally the sound of the recordings. The scratchy and narrow tone could be annoying, but the result is more an album with a strong historical message. Young's force with just a guitar and harmonica at hand is something that will forever live on and follow his legacy, and that is here only once again underlined. The best songs here are "Changes" written by Phil Oachs, "Needle of Death" by Bert Jansch and "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot all of which perhaps are the strongest "natural" sources of inspiration found on this by Neil Young.
It's a homage to ancient days, lost values and a reminder of what it takes to make music: and it's not a necessity to have 56 tracks available in a million-dollar studio with all the right producers and mixers to make an album worthwhile. Even nowadays. It's an album that would serve well as introduction to all contemporary pop and rap artists. Listen and learn!
The idea and the songs together make this a nice and warm album, but the narrowness in the production sound also has its natural limitations - its perhaps like treasuring a vintage wine from a specific fine year of the 1950s - it's there to look at and talk about but for drinking... Of course this is for listening but for hours and day after day, I guess you have to be more than just a bit nostalgic. The album is not Young at his most vivid and utmost inspiring but nonetheless it's one of his best studio releases since Silver & Gold (2000) and consequently an album worth more than just a glance.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Psychedelic Pill" (2012)

Psychedelic Pill
release date: Oct. 30, 2012
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Neil Young, John Hanlon and Mark Humphreys
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: Disc 1: 1. "Driftin' Back" - 2. "Psychedelic Pill" - 3. "Ramada Inn" - 4. "Born in Ontario" - Disc 2: 2. "She's Always Dancing" - 3. "For the Love of Man" - 4. "Walk Like a Giant"

33rd studio album by Neil Young recorded with Crazy Horse is released only 4½ months after his collaboration studio album with Crazy Horse Americana, once again proving Young's vitality. Every now and then Young slows down - two years pass on and then he puts out two albums in the same year - back on track! Where Americana was a bunch of old songs and covers in new arrangements, this is brand new material from the man himself, and I can't help thinking that this was the album he really put all efforts in that year. Not only is it an album of new compositions - it's also Young's first 2-disc album, and with a playing time at more than 1 hour and 27 mins, it's his longest studio album to date; although it 'only' contains 9 tracks. Two of the compositions have a playing time above 16 mins. and the very first track has a playing time at 27:36 mins [!].
With its distorted 'psychedelic rock' sound, the album makes me think of Broken Arrow and an older album like Rust Never Sleeps both also with Crazy Horse. It has the same distorted feedback sound, as one will find on Broken Arrow and yet it dwells likewise throughout the single tracks as opposed to the more 'rock'-fussed albums Ragged Glory and Weld with Crazy Horse. And although, he also made Americana this year together with Crazy Horse the style here is really not linked in any way with the former release from this year, which compared to this sounds more like less worked-through material - something that could have stayed in the studio. However, their get-together work for Americana was probably what was needed to create this one, 'cause here they sound like the tight unit they used to be.
The album may not contain great single hits - it's more like one organic type of thing that grows, evolves and changes its direction running through a field, sometimes rapidly, sometimes in slow-motion while reviving some of the same elements one will find on some the quartet's familiar pieces.
I really enjoy this one and think of it as Neil Young's best studio album in more than a decade.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Americana" (2012)

Americana
release date: Jun. 5, 2012
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Neil Young, John Hanlon, Mark Humphreys
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

32nd studio album by Neil Young released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The album features Crazy Horse again but unlike almost all Young's other albums this doesn't have music written by Neil Young. Instead it contains mostly traditionals some of which have music arranged by Neil Young or others. The title seemingly refers more to the sources of the music - composers and / or being American traditionals than a reference to the music style. The music is more folk, country and folk rock. It's like Okay, but nothing great here, I think.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young International Harvesters "A Treasure" (2011)

A Treasure [archival] (live)
release date: Jun. 10, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,46]
producer: Neil Young & Ben Keith
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 11. "Nothing Is Perfect" - 12. "Grey Riders"

A live album by Neil Young released as Neil Young International Harvesters features live recordings from his 1984-1985 U.S. tour with the International Harvesters, and it's volume nine in Young's "Archives Performance Series" and the sixth to be released. The material is a blend of old familiar songs, newer ones and previously unreleased material all played in the style of country rock.
One could suspect Young from having landed in a track where he's 'obligated' to release a new album every year now time is ticking away. Sure, it's not going faster, but Neil may have come across the thought that he he doesn't have his life in front of him anymore. So when he doesn't feel like releasing brand new material, he can always turn to his "Archives".
I think, it's great that he wants to share all that filed material of his, but it does make it strange to sit down and be forced to think some 30 years back and think: "how good was it then?" vs. "how good is it today?" And regardless the answer be able to acknowledge these recordings from a contemporary point of view considering time, quality and legitimacy.
In the early and mid 1980s Young seemed lost. He bounced from one style to another trying to be modern or contemporary enough to keep up and still be popular or worthwhile. And he failed time after time releasing the albums Hawks & Doves, Re-ac-tor, Trans, Everybody's Rockin', Old Ways and Landing on Water - all unsuccessfully. Is this his way of returning to his dark(est) ages by pointing out that he stood firm and still played great songs? We can't really tell. But listening to the songs here I find it difficult to greet these country rock songs as "A Treasure" to pay tribute to. We've really heard this dozen times or more (or more), and no matter when, I don't really like Young's country rock. Period. Yes, when he played After the Gold Rush and Harvest it made sense, but not in the mid 80s or today. It doesn't contain memorable stuff and it's not good.
Not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Le Noise" (2010)

Le Noise
release date: Sep. 28, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]
producer: Daniel Lanois
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

31st studio album by Neil Young is one of his more experimental albums. Whenever he feels like it, he trows himself over a new style and here he plays with noise rock and experimental rock, mostly. The (French-)Canadian musician and producer Daniel Lanois has given name to the album, but it's also a rather fitting title. Not all tracks are fuelled with reverberating electric guitar, but I cannot help thinking of the album as the result of Young just playing along in a studio and Lanois taping, and adding a production fingerprint to that. However, the album sold well, and was met by positive reviews. It reached number #2 on the Canadian album charts list, and to number #10 in Europe.
Neil has had his time in the lab. A time spent experimenting with content and form, with genres and styles - with this and that. This is just another one trying something else. "Let's see what happens if you record what I make of this today..." Sure, the man is gifted and he he has made more than just a fair share of classic songs and albums, but sometimes he misses. This is such a case. I don't like it, and I frankly find it one of his worst albums.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Fork in the Road " (2009)

Fork in the Road 
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 ]

Neil Young "Chrome Dreams II" (2007)

Chrome Dreams II
release date: Oct. 23, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Neil Young & Niko Bolas [as "The Volume Dealers"]
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

29th studio album by Neil Young. The album is one of his more mixed albums. Some tracks are quiet blending country rock, traditional folk and singer / songwriter, whereas others are hard rock and garage rock-styled, which makes it a bit of a strange collection. It sounds like a compilation of tracks coming from various albums and periods. The title refers to the fact that an album Chrome Dreams had been shelved back around 1977 - an album that also contained songs of mixed styles and influences. Perhaps, Young also felt the ambiguity and basically found it hard to find a direction at the time, since what was released was the mixed album American Stars 'n Bars (1977).
I'm not really impressed by this, and it seems that Young - once again - has found himself lost in the current time. It's been a while since he has released a truly great album, and this is not one of those.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut, 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Live at Massey Hall 1971" (2007) (live)

Live at Massey Hall 1971 [Archival] (live)
release date: Mar. 13, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: David Briggs, Neil Young
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "On the Way Home" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Tell Me Why" (4 / 5) - 3. "Old Man" (5 / 5) - 5. "Helpless" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "A Man Needs a Maid - Heart of Gold Suite" (4 / 5) - 8. "Cowgirl in the Sand" (4 / 5) - 9. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" (4 / 5) - 12. "The Needle and the Damage Done" (4 / 5) - 13. "Ohio" (4 / 5) - 15. "Down by the River" (4 / 5) - 16. "Dance Dance Dance" (5 / 5) - 17. "I Am a Child" (4 / 5)

Live album by Neil Young in his "Archives Performance Series". The tracks were recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada on Jan. 19, 1971 during his Journey Through The Past solo tour. This is such a fine and absolutely wonderful album documenting how great he performed without anyone to support him on stage. I love it.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Uncut 5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Living With War" (2006)

Living With War
release date: May 2, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Neil Young, Niko Bolas and L.A. Johnson
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "After the Garden" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Living With War" (3 / 5) - 4. "Shock and Awe" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Families" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Flags of Freedom" (3 / 5)

28th studio album by Neil Young. It's like Greendale considered conceptual. It's seen as Young's comment and criticism of the US administration's military engagements around the world. It's something as rare these days as a genuine protest rock album. The idea is good, his intentions the best, but the music is... weak. I think, he intentionally has made it sound raw and has taped the tracks as live recordings, but it really lacks great tunes. However, the album was nominated 3 Grammy awards in 2007. In my mind, it contains a couple of fine songs and a bunch of odd ones.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Prairie Wind" (2005)

Prairie Wind
release date: Sep. 20, 2005
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]
producer: Neil Young, Ben Keith
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Key track: 5. "It's a Dream" (4 / 5)

27th studio album by Neil Young is a return to one of his 'comfort zones'. On this, he continues his acoustic singer / songwriter and folk tradition, initiated with Harvest and which had Silver & Gold as his most recent. The album was met by positive reviews and was nominated in two categories at the 2006 Grammy Award. I don't find it as interesting as Comes a Time or Harvest Moon but see it close to match Silver & Gold. Not great, nor bad, just middle of the road, quite alright.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 ]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Greendale" (2003)

Greendale
release date: Aug. 19, 2003
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: Neil Young, L.A. Johnson
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Falling From Above" (3 / 5) - 2. "Double E" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Bandit" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Be The Rain" (3 / 5)

26th studio album by Neil Young is released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse, although, Crazy Horse guitarist Frank 'Poncho' Sampedro doesn't play on the album - apparently, because Young felt that the album should only have room for one guitar. The album is a concept album describing the life and struggles of a small town American family living in Greendale and is held in a singer / songwriter folk rock and blues rock style with stress on folk.
I bought the album without having heard a single track from it, and was disappointed. It's better than that though, but I find it too bluesy and without great songs. The narrative may be interesting but I don't buy music to listen to a story... only, and the music is not really my style.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Are You Passionate?" (2002)

Are You Passionate?
release date: Apr. 9, 2002
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,52]
producer: Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, Frank 'Poncho' Sampedro
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Mr. Disappointment" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Differently" - 6. "Are You Passionate?" - 10. "Two Old Friends"

25th studio album by Neil Young is an album where Young plays with the trio Booker T. & the M.G.'s consisting of Booker T. Jones on organ, vibes and vocal, Donald 'Duck' Dunn on bass, and with Steve Potts on drums and percussion. The album is one where Young plays soul music, and very much as usual all tracks are written by Young.
The album sold well but isn't regarded one of his better albums. Still, it made it to number #10 on the US album charts list and to number #24 in the UK. All tracks except track #7 are recorded with Booker T & the M.G.'s, which is a more traditional blues rock song by Neil Young with Crazy Horse. Yes, it does incorporate soul and r&b, but really, Neil, if you plan on making a styled album with another artist, then why this? Well, I really don't like the album that much. He's trying so hard to clone 1960s genuine soul with 1970s electric blues rock, r&b and folk rock using his characteristic soft mellow singing voice as glue, but I don't think he succeeds that well, which he might have done, had he stayed with the soul not trying so hard to mix styles.
I've really tried (hard) to like this album 'cause ya' know it's Neil Young, right. So it should be good. I just can't find the right moment when it sets in. Not one of his memorable releases, and I would say, if you're not a collector or true fan: just skip this one.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Silver & Gold" (2000)

Silver & Gold
release date: Apr. 25, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Neil Young, Ben Keith
label: Reprise Records, Germany - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Good to See You" (4 / 5) - 2. "Silver & Gold" - 3. "Daddy Went Walkin'" - 4. "Buffalo Springfield Again" - 7. "Red Sun" - 8. "Distant Camera" - 9. "Razor Love"

24th studio album by Neil Young this time released as a solo album, and as often is the case when he chooses his solo works it's singer / songwriter and folk, and it's an album with strong bonds to Harvest, Comes a Time, and Harvest Moon.
Despite scarce instrumentation some tracks feature guest artists like Jim Keltner, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Oscar Butterworth, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.
It's not truly great but it's quite fine and very enjoyable.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Year of the Horse" (1997) (live)

Year of the Horse (live)
release date: Jun. 17, 1997
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: "Horse" [Neil Young & Crazy Horse]
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: Canada

Another live album by Neil Young released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse recorded while on tour in 1996 and originally released by Reprise. Year of the Horse is actually foremost a documentary film directed by Jim Jarmusch following the band on their 1996 tour but also a 2 disc live album. The tracks are not taken from a specific album but are primarily from an early period up until the live album Rust Never Sleeps.
Now, without having seen the film, I think that it could work as documenting this great artist with his legendary backing band on tour, but the album itself seems somewhat redundant. It hasn't much new to offer that one won't find (better) in his back catalogue, and the selection of songs and the sound doesn't really add things up. Having said that, the tracks here are fine and it contains some truly great and essential songs - the only 'problem' about it is that for fans there's not much new. It's a bit like realising: "Yeah, we forgot to invite Jarmusch along while doing Weld 'cause we all know that was a hell of a peak. So let's make part two of that one. This one's for Jim!".
The not so successful tracks are basically the entire disc 2 with the only exception of "Sedan Delivery", which means not essential inclusions of tracks like "Slip Away", "Scattered", "Danger Bird" and "Prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll" all dragging the overall experience in the wrong direction after a strong start on disc 1.
The good stuff is a great version of "Barstool Blues", a fine live version of "Mr. Soul" and Neil & Crazy Horse live... well, it can't be bad even if they try. With tracks like "When You Dance I Can Really Love", "When Your Lonely Heart Breaks", and then "Pocahontas" played live  - hell, even as I think of this as a bit of a disappointment, it's really much better than decent or just good. It may not be essential but it's worth more than a listen or two. However, the three best live albums by Neil Young does not include this one.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Broken Arrow" (1996)

Broken Arrow
release date: Jul. 2, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Neil Young
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Big Time" - 2. "Loose Change" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Slip Away" - 4. "Changing Highways" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Scattered (Let's Think About Livin')"

23rd studio album by Neil Young released as Neil Young with Crazy Horse comes out in a productive time for Neil. His entry into the 90s has been one of his great periods starting with Ragged Glory (1990) and his, best live release, the 2 disc Weld from '91. This one is released only 5 months after his different, to put it mildly, soundtrack Dead Man, but more so it links with his previous albums with Crazy Horse in the sense that they play on with their feedback hard rock bluesy sound, although, this turns out as a more jam-fed set of songs where they just play on and on and on - much like some of the great tunes on Weld.
The album is not one of his critically acclaimed albums, and my 1990s verdict was much on par with that - I generally found it without much to offer except for electrified jam-sessions. However, I really have change my feelings quite a bit on this one. Thinking of Ragged Glory and Weld this basically seems more like a stream, or essence of those moments. Neil and Crazy Horse play so tight even when they just jam along. There's a kind of mutual understanding of how to mold the spirit they let loose when they first get started, and I find that one can almost touch that on this one. It's gentler than both of the two albums of the 90s, and it may not contain a bunch of classic Neil Young moments like "Pocahontas" or "Cortez the Killer", but songs like "Big Time", "Slip Away" and "Changing Highways" are fueled with the same energy.
I have come to really enjoy this one, and think of it as just another great 90s album by Neil Young, and if you have once rejected this, give it another chance or two. For me, it's a natural grower and one of my favourite Neil Young and Crazy Horse albums.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Dead Man" (OST) (1996)

Dead Man (soundtrack)
release date: Feb. 27, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Neil Young, John Hanlon
label: Vapor Records - nationality: Canada

3rd soundtrack album by Neil Young is the official soundtrack to a movie by Jim Jarmusch. The music is instrumental with dialog excerpts from the film. Apparently, Young improvised while watching the movie. I find it difficult, although, it's not entirely bad. It makes me think of Ry Cooder, which may have to do with a certain touch of 'americana'. I think, one really has to be in certain state, and I haven't been close to that yet.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars - Robert Christgau labels it "bad" ]

Neil Young "Mirror Ball" (1995)

Mirror Ball
release date: Jun. 27, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,54]
producer: Brendan O'Brien
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada / USA

22nd studio album by Neil Young was promoted as a collaboration of Neil Young and Pearl Jam, however, all tracks except track #8, "Piece and Love" (written by Eddie Vedder) were written by Young, and the album is basically a Young studio release with Pearl Jam (without Vedder) as his backing band; however, Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien was brought in to produce the album to add some of the Pearl Jam-energy to this Neil Young album. Not surprisingly, the style is highly influenced by grunge rock exemplified by Pearl Jam.
The album was generally met by positive reviews and made it to number #6 on the Canadian albums chart list, number #5 in the US, and to number #4 in the UK.
Apparently, the recording sessions were a bunch of studio sessions with Young and Pearl Jam playing around recording takes as they got along without any pre-written material.
I have never really liked this particular album, and mostly think of it as murky and simply without a distinct vision. It's basically just jam session material and without a single great song.
The album is not recommended for anything but background noise and / or for collectors only.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5  stars ]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Sleeps With Angels" (1994)

Sleeps With Angels
release date: Aug. 6, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: David Briggs, Neil Young
label: Reprise Records, Germany - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "My Heart" (4 / 5) - 2. "Prime of Life" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Change Your Mind" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Train of Love" (3,5 / 5) - 12. "A Dream That Can Last" (3,5 / 5)

21st studio album by Neil Young is released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. It seems Neil has found his strengths as he hasn't released a "strange" and stylistically experimental album since 1986 with Landing on Water. This is perhaps his most restrained, dark and soft rock folk rock (official) release with Crazy Horse. Only exception is the hard rock track "Piece of Crap". Overall, it appears to me to be closest related with Tonight's the Night from 1975.
Although, the album was well-received, it's not really one of my favorites. I think, it serves well as background noise for interesting conversations but somehow also bores me somewhat. The only real exceptional tracks are the first and last: "My Heart" and "A Dream That Can Last", the latter being a rare Neil Young composition that has a certain circus feel and near The Last Waltz theme by The Band to it.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]