With a childlike sense of hope and Nils Lofgren’s piano and accordion prominent in the mix, Neil Young’s latest ride with Crazy Horse sounds more like a folksy solo album.
World Record finds Young ensconced in his ongoing trite-lyrics period as he writes lovely melodies to accompany tracks with such titles as “Love Earth,”“This Old Planet (Changing Days)” and “The World (Is in Trouble Now).”
“No more war/only love,” Young, Lofgren, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina sing in hushed harmony on the nursery-rhyme-like “Walkin’ on the Road (To the Future).”
Mellow vibes notwithstanding, the Horse still snorts on occasion, whether reprising “Welfare Mothers” on the call-and-response “Break the Chain;” channeling Pink Floyd on “I Walk with You (Earth Ringtone)” with its marching feet and sweeping guitar; or making the listener’s head snap toward the speaker with wildly abrasive solos on the 15-minute rubber-burner dubbed “Chevrolet.”
Young has been insanely prolific, if careless about quality control, in the 21st century. And while World Record isn’t destined to be a classic, it is Young’s strongest release since 2012’s Psychedelic Pill and an album that will remain on fans’ shelves long after Storytone, the Monsanto Years, Peace Trail, et. al fade into memory.
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