Neil Young/ Barn

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Neil Young/ Barn

Genre: Roots rock

Label: Reprise Records 

Rating: ****

At 76, Neil Young shows no signs of slowing down. Have spent the pandemic days putting out old live recordings and previously unreleased material, he now comes out with 10 new songs on Barn. And nothing seems to have changed - this sounds like any of his work 30 or 35 years ago.

This is his 41st studio album, an obvious sign of his prolificity. For the 14th time he teams up with Crazy Horse, comprising guitarist-keyboardist Nils Lofgren, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina. And to add to the melodic aura, he's recorded this at a specially constructed barn up in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, with co-producer Niko Bolas working out of a mobile recording truck nearby.

In fact, Colorado was the title of Young's 2019 album, and like in that case, he talks of American landscapes, lifestyle and environment, besides making autobiographical references and narrating love yarns. The songs alternate between harmonica-driven acoustic gems and grunge-laden distortion guitar rockers. All through, the balance is maintained beautifully, and that's something he's done consistently before.

With its harmonica intro and accordion layering, 'Song Of The Seasons' seems like a continuation of his Old Ways or Harvest Moon albums. In his trademark nasal twang, Young sings, "Song of the seasons coming through me now, like the wind in your hair, we're so together in the way that we feel, that we could wind up anywhere".

The theme of love also pervades the piano-backed 'Tumbling Through The Years', which takes a nostalgic look at the ups and downs in a relationship. On 'Shape Of You', he sings, "You changed my life for the better, wore my love like your favourite sweater". 

While these are the softer songs, Young pumps up the tempo on 'Heading West', a nostalgic ride about teenage memories and how things have changed. The words go, "Good old days, good old days, headin west to find the good old days, riding with mommy in her little car".

On a more hard rocking note, the guitar solos dazzle on the protest number 'Human Race', where Young sings "Who's gonna save the human race, where are all the children gonna run and hide?" This song singularly explains why he was named the godfather of grunge.

On a contrasting note, there's the  nearly-nine-minute epic 'Welcome Back', whose highlight is the touch artistry and soulfulness in its guitarwork, specially in the art of keeping pauses between notes and filling up spaces, besides the interaction between two maestros. "Welcome back, welcome back, it's not the same," he sings on repeat.

On a personal note, 'Canerican' talks of Young's Canadian upbringing and decision to settle in the US, as he sings, "I am American, American is what I am", referring to his receiving an American citizenship last year. Quite appropriately, the musician ends with a message song, on the self-explanatory 'Don't Forget Love'.

The highlight of Barn is its raw and rugged sound, with Young and Bolas retaining the natural feel. A Blu Ray film of the same name is being prepared by Young's wife Darryl Hannah. That should be as enjoyable as the album.