Members of Crazy Horse and Neil Young Debut As Molina, Talbot, Lofgren & Young

After 53 years, the current members of Crazy Horse and their on-and-off leader throughout this period Neil Young decided to do something they had never done before: Instead of creating new music together, they each recorded songs individually and compiled them on a new album, All Roads Lead Home, which appeared last Friday (March 31). For the first time, they also released music as Molina, Talbot, Lofgren & Young. Inevitably, it makes you think of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Ralph Molina (drums) and Billy Talbot (bass), the only consistent members of Crazy Horse since the band’s official inception in 1969 on Young’s sophomore album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and Nils Lofgren (guitar) who first joined in 1970, each wrote three tunes. Young contributed a solo version of Song of the Seasons, a tune that first appeared on the album Barn, which he released with Crazy Horse in December 2021. I reviewed it here at the time.

From left: Nils Lofgren, Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and Neil Young

The four artists pointed to the dreadful pandemic to explain their approach. Sure, travel restrictions would have made gathering more challenging, not to mention the fact that getting sick would have put each gentleman at significant risk – after all, they aren’t exactly 18 any longer! Yet, modern technology could have overcome physical separation. Simply put, they could have recorded their parts individually and exchanged them via digital files. Of course, the latter would be hard to imagine for a band like Crazy Horse who have been known to create music together in the moment – a spontaneous approach that while it resulted in various outcomes has served them well overall!

In their review, Ultimate Classic Rock rightly notes All Roads Lead Home feels like “four solo records collected in a single home”. They add, “That makes for a scattered and occasionally unfocused listen, already a characteristic of recent Young and Crazy Horse albums.” That doesn’t bother me at all. True, there’s no apparent overarching vision or theme here, but I actually think the resulting variety of the songs enriches the listening experience. Also, unlike Neil Young and Nils Lofgren, frankly, I hadn’t exactly thought of Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot as songwriters. Looking at previous albums released by Crazy Horse without Neil Young, such as Crazy Moon (1978) and Left For Dead (1989), reveals Molina and Talbot had done some occasional writing in the past.

I’d say ’nuff talk, let’s get to some music! The opener Rain is one of the songs by Talbot who also provides lead vocals in addition to acoustic guitar and piano – the first time I recall hearing Talbot sing! He’s backed by the Billy Talbot Band featuring Matt Piucci (electric guitar, organ, acoustic guitar, vocals), Michael Hamilton (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, baritone bass, vocals), Mark Hanley (slide guitar, electric piano, vocals), Ryan James Holzer (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals), Jack Hughes (organ, piano, vocals), Tommy Carns (bass guitar, steel guitar, vocals) and Stephen Junca (drums, vocals). According to Talbot’s website, the Billy Talbot Band has been around since 2004 when he launched his solo career with the album Alive in the Spirit World – who knew! This all works for me!

You Will Never Know was penned by Lofgren. He also sings lead vocals and plays all instruments, including guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. One of his brothers, Tom Lofgren, who is a musician as well and performs with his brothers Mike Lofgren and Mark Lofgren in a trio known as The Lofgren Brothers, is credited with vocals. I love Nils’ slide guitar work on this song, which has a bit of an Eagles vibe, especially once Tom sings harmony vocals. Love Will Keep Us Alive anybody?

Here’s Young’s aforementioned solo version of Song of the Seasons. You could say supplying only one tune that isn’t even new is a bit of a measly contribution. Again, I’d like to see the upside here. While Neil Young is very well-known as a prolific singer-songwriter, the same cannot be said about Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot. As such, I like the fact that both guys are given room for three tunes each on the album! Coming back to Song of the Seasons, apart from singing, Young plays guitar and harmonica, making it classic acoustic Neil Young. This stripped-back approach and sound is a key reason why I fell in love with him in the first place many moons ago!

One of the album’s highlights is Look Through the Eyes of Your Heart, written by Molina. With its rugged sound, it’s got a Crazy Horse vibe, though perhaps not as rugged as you could imagine it when Young goes grunge. Like Talbot, Molina who sings lead chose to be backed by musicians other than his Crazy Horse bandmates: Marco Cecilia (guitars), Francesco Lucarelli (tremolo guitar), Anthony Crawford (acoustic guitar) and Marco Melino (drums). Backing vocals are provided by Brad Stock and Sonny Mone. I like how this tune came out!

Let’s do one more, The Hunter, another song co-written by Talbot. Like in his previous above tune, Talbot is singing lead and playing piano and guitar on this ballad, with backing by members of the Billy Talbot Band. In this case, the line-up is slightly modified and includes Payton Jerde (bass, vocals) in addition to Holzer, Hamilton, Junca and Hughes. In a post on Neil Young’s website neilyoungarchives.com Talbot explains the tune which he co-wrote with Ryan James Holzer came out of sessions with the band in late 2017. Once again, I have to say I’m impressed with the outcome!

So, what do you think? While All Roads Lead Home doesn’t break new musical ground, I feel it’s not only a pleasant listening experience, but it also elevates the profiles of Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot as songwriters. And, who knows, perhaps the Crazy Horse formula has changed forever! Plus, who would have thought we’d see another band that has “& Young” as part of their name!

The last words shall belong to the members. “After Billy and I talking, we finally realized it was time to have our own album together..along with Nils, and the big guy, we thank wholeheartedly, adding a song,” Molina said in the aforementioned post on neilyoungarchives.com. “We now have what we feel is a good one.”

“I loved working on the All Ways Lead Home project,” Lofgren stated. “Thrilled to share it now. After 53 years of friendship and music, it was a joy to participate.”

“Playing with these guys for over 50 years is one of the greatest joys of my life,” added Young.

The album isn’t available on Spotify, most likely because of Young’s well-publicized beef with the streaming platform (you can hear his explanation in this interview snippet with Howard Stern), though you can stream it on Apple Music and I assume other platforms. Following is the tracklist:

01 Rain (Billy Talbot)
02 You Will Never Know (Nils Lofgren)
03 It’s Magical (Ralph Molina)
04 Song Of The Seasons (Neil Young)
05 Cherish (Billy Talbot)
06 Fill My Cup (Nils Lofgren)
07 Look Through The Eyes Of Your Heart (Ralph Molina)
08 The Hunter (Billy Talbot)
09 Go With Me (Nils Lofgren)
10 Just For You (Ralph Molina)

Sources: Wikipedia; Ultimate Classic Rock; Billy Talbot website; neilyoungarchives.com; YouTube

The Year That Was – Part 1 of 2

After feeling a bit lukewarm initially about the thought of looking back at 2021, a year I’d rather forget in many regards, I’m glad I decided to proceed. After all, there was lots of great new music – music that undoubtedly helped me cope with challenges this tiresome pandemic presented.

This review is split into two parts. Part 1 revisits my favorite 2021 albums I covered during the past year. Part 2 presents highlights from Best of What’s New, my weekly recurring feature looking at newly released songs. While it would have been easy to feature some of the same artists in both parts, I deliberately avoided overlap.

Altogether, I reviewed more than 20 albums over the past 12 months. After excluding archives releases, such as Neil Young’s Carnegie Hall 1970 and Young Shakespeare, and reissues like Tom Petty’s Angel Dream (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture “She’s the One”), I narrowed the list to 17 albums. Following are six I like in particular.

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band/Dance Songs for Hard Times

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band is an unusual country blues trio, and it’s not only because of their funny name. The group, which has been around since 2003, consists of Josh “The Reverend” Peyton (guitar, lead vocals), his wife  “Washboard” Breezy Peyton (washboard) and Max Senteney (drums). Notably, they don’t have a bassist. Peyton, a great guitarist, compensates with skillful fingerstyle playing that includes the prominent use of his thumb to play bass lines. Dance Songs for Hard Times, the trio’s 10th full-length album, was released on April 9. You can read more about it here. To get an idea, check out the amazing Too Cool to Dance and tell me this doesn’t rock!

John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band/Leftover Feelings

One of my big “discoveries” this year is John Hiatt, an artist whose name I’ve known for 30-plus years but had not started to explore until earlier this year – well, better late than never! On May 21, Hiatt released a great collaboration album with Dobro resonator guitar master Jerry Douglas. They were backed by Jerry Douglas Band members Mike Seal (acoustic and electric guitar), Daniel Kimbro (bass, string arrangements) and Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle). You can read more about Leftover Feelings here, which was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio B during the Covid shutdown. Here’s a little sample: Mississippi Phone Booth, written by Hiatt.

Southern Avenue/Be the Love You Want

Southern Avenue, a five-piece from Memphis, Tenn., are one of my favorite contemporary groups, blending blues and soul with contemporary R&B. Founded in 2015, this great band features Ori Naftaly (guitar), Tierinii Jackson (lead vocals), her sister Tikyra Jackson (drums, backing vocals), Jeremy Powell (keyboards) and Evan Sarver (bass). On August 27, their third album Be the Love You Want came out. While it feels like a bigger and more contemporary production compared to the band’s first two records and there’s a guest appearance by pop artist Jason Mraz, at its core, this still sounds very much like Southern Avenue’s music I’ve come to love: A tasty blend of blues, soul, funk and gospel, combined with elements of modern R&B. You can read more about it here. And here’s Push Now.

The Wild Feathers/Alvarado

The Wild Feathers, formed in Nashville, Tenn. in 2010, combine elements of country rock, southern rock, classic rock, blues and folk with multi-part harmony singing – a quite attractive combination! The group’s current lineup includes founding members Taylor Burns (guitar, vocals), Ricky Young (guitar, vocals), Brett Moore (guitar, mandolin) and Joel King (bass, vocals), together with Ben Dumas (drums). On October 8, they released their fifth studio album Alvarado. According to an exclusive preview by American Songwriter, The Wild Feathers wrote and recorded the album in a small cabin located an hour northwest of Nashville, the same place in which they conceived predecessor Medium Rarities. You can read more about Alvarado here. To get an idea, I give you Side Street Shakedown, a great rocker co-written by King, Young and Burns.

The Brandy Alexanders/The Brandy Alexanders

The Brandy Alexanders are a psychedelic pop-rock band from Canada, which was formed in 2016. The members include brothers Alex Dick (lead vocals, guitar) and Daniel Dick (keyboards), along with Sean Shepherd (lead guitar), Zack Vivier (bass) and Robbie Cervi (drums). They were discovered in 2019 by Renan Yildizdogan, the founder of independent label Gypsy Soul Records, who saw the group at a local performance venue in Toronto and subsequently signed them. On December 10, The Brandy Alexanders released their eponymous debut album. For more on that, click here. And here’s the great-sounding opener Ceiling Fan, Man. 

Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Barn

Neil Young has been on a roll this year. In addition to the aforementioned solo releases from his archives, he put out Way Down in the Rust Bucket, another excellent archives release of a 1990 live concert with Crazy Horse. Speaking of Young’s longtime backing band, there was a record with new songs, Barn, his 41st studio release and 14th album with Crazy Horse. It appeared on December 10 as well. Recorded in a converted barn high in the Rocky Mountains, Barn sounds charmingly ragged, relaxed and spontaneous – like classic Crazy Horse! Click here for my album review and check out Heading West!

Additional 2021 albums I’d like to at least briefly acknowledge include Exit Wounds (The Wallflowers), Many a Mile (Blue Rodeo), Long Lost (Lord Huron), Dirty Honey (Dirty Honey) and The Battle at Garden’s Gate (Greta Van Fleet). Stay tuned for Part 2 of this year-in-review feature, which will include songs from these artists.

Sources: Wikipedia; American Songwriter; YouTube

The Horse Has Left the Barn

Neil Young’s new album with Crazy Horse is out today (December 10). While Barn doesn’t break new ground, its classic Neil Young feel makes for a great listening experience fans of the Canadian-turned-American singer-songwriter will love. His 41st studio release appears 52 years after 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and follows Colorado from October 2019, the first and most recent albums, respectively, which Young recorded with his longtime backing band.

The title of the new album couldn’t be more fitting: It was recorded in June this year in a converted barn high in the Rocky Mountains, using Le Mobile Recording Studio. “Made it just like in the old drawings and photographs,” Young told Apple Music about the barn. “It used to be a stage stop, so you’d see these pictures with the carriages and the horses and the ladies with their big dresses with the metal ring and everything.”

From left: Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Nils Lofgren and Neil Young

Young also explained the album’s unusual recording process to Apple. The sessions were scheduled at night, so he and his Crazy Horse members Nils Lofgren (piano, backing vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, backing vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums) could work in the moonlight. Getting to the barn involved walking for a couple of miles “across the meadows, through the valley.” Further describing the scene Young added, “The Rockies are everywhere. And it’s just beautiful. I like that.” 

Three of the 10 tracks, Song of the Seasons, Heading West and Welcome Back, had been released upfront. I previously covered these tunes here, here and here. As such, I’m skipping them in this post. Let’s take a look at some of the other songs. All tunes were written by Young.

Change Ain’t Never Gonna has a bluesy vibe. Young, a strong supporter of biofuels, criticizes the opponents of alternative fuels: Ten men workin’ had to get a new job/Try to save the planet from a fuel-burnin’ mob/Who turned on everyone for bein’ so controllin’/Takin’ away all the freedom they’ve been knowin’…

On crunchy rocker Canerican, Young who became an American citizen in 2020 reflects on his new status: …I am American, American is what I am/I was born in Canada, came south to join a band/got caught up in the big time, traveling through the land/Up on the stage I see the changes coming to this country/I am Canerican/ Canerican is what I am…

They Might Be Lost is one of the acoustic tunes on the album. It’s not clear to me what the song is about. This review in Riff Magazine notes it may or may not be about a marijuana grower waiting for couriers to come pick up the latest shipment. While I guess it’s possible, I’m not sure how they came up with this explanation.

On Human Race, the speed picks up and the sound gets crunchy again. There’s also less ambiguity about the lyrics…Who’s gonna save the human race/Where are all the children gonna run and hide (children of the fires and floods/From the fires and floods today’s people have left behind…

The last track I’d like to highlight is Tumblin’ Thru the Years. The piano-driven ballad appears to be a thank you to Young’s wife Daryl Hannah for sticking with him. They started a relationship in 2014 and got married three years ago. Well, I was walking down the road/one step at a time heading home/I was thinkin’ about the love we share, you and me/It’s a complicated thing, this life/If I wasn’t here with you/Tumblin’ thru the years without our love…

Barn was co-produced by Young and Niko Bolas, who also worked in this capacity on Young’s previous albums Living with War (2006), Freedom (1989) and This Note’s for You (1988). On Barn, nothing seems to be overthought, a common characteristic of other Crazy Horse albums. In fact, the recordings sound pretty spontaneous, occasionally somewhat imperfect and relaxed. Perhaps those moonlight recording sessions and walks to the barn contributed to this feel!

Barn’s release is accompanied by a documentary about the making of the album, BARN/A Band – A Brotherhood – A Barn, directed by Hannah. The film was screened on December 9 for one night only at select theaters in Chicago; Santa Monica, Calif. and New York City. Another screening is scheduled in Toronto for tomorrow evening. The documentary will also stream on Young’s website NeilYoungArchives.com and streaming services in January.

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Riff Magazine; YouTube

Clips & Pix: Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Welcome Back

Neil Young has shared a video of Welcome Back, the third upfront track from his upcoming new album. Recorded with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse, Barn is scheduled for this Friday, December 10. The eight-and-a-half-minute track is a slow-burning, crunchy jam rocker. Its feel reminds me a bit of Cortez the Killer, the epic tune from Young’s 1975 Zuma album, which he also made with Crazy Horse. This sounds like classic Neil – check it out!

A note published on Young’s website NeilYoungArchives.com on December 3 reads as follows: Welcome Back! The Horse is in the Barn playing a song like only the Horse can. Enjoy! We had a great time making this record for you and of course for us!

Apart from Young (guitar, vocals), the clip features Crazy Horse members Nils Lofgren (guitar), Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums). Like the previously released Heading West, Welcome Back was recorded on June 21 this year at Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio in the Rocky Mountains. According to Wikipedia, Barn is Young’s 41st studio album and his 14th with Crazy Horse.

In addition to the album, there will be a companion documentary titled BARN/A Band – A Brotherhood – A Barn, directed by Young’s wife Daryl Hannah. The film will be screened at select theaters for one night only. Current locations listed on NeilYoungArchives.com include venues in Chicago; Santa Monica, Calif.; New York City and Toronto. Here’s a trailer.

Sources: Wikipedia; NeilYoungArchives.com; YouTube

The Sunday Six

Can you believe we’ve reached the first Sunday in December? Soon those who celebrate will be saying ‘Merry Christmas’ before we all kiss this dreadful second pandemic year goodbye – fuck COVID! Sorry, usually I don’t swear, but I just needed to get this off my chest! On a more upbeat note, this also means it’s time to embark on another music journey. How do you like that transition? And, yes, I’ve put together another eclectic set of six tunes. Come on, hop on board and fugetabout the stupid virus, at least for some time!

Glenn Miller and his Orchestra/Moonlight Serenade

I’d like to start with a timeless jazz classic that takes us back all the way to 1939. When for some reason, Moonlight Serenade randomly came to my mind the other day, I immediately decided the beautiful swing ballad by Glenn Miller would make for a great Sunday Six opener. According to Songfacts, the tune’s origins date back to 1935 and a song titled As I Lay Me Down to Weep, with music by Miller and lyrics by Eddie Heyman. The tune wasn’t recorded at the time, but in 1938, the music became the theme of Miller’s radio broadcasts on NBC. The following year, when Miller who by then had his own band recorded a song called Sunrise Serenade, publisher Robbins Music suggested that he pair it with Moonlight Serenade to make it a theme. Moonlight Serenade was the original As I Lay Me Down to Weep with different lyrics. Miller kept the title but decided to record the music only – smart decision! When it appeared in May 1939, Moonlight Serenade became an immediate sensation and Miller’s signature song. And here we are, 82 years later!

Meat Loaf/Bat Out of Hell

In case Moonlight Serenade put you in a sleepy mood it’s time to wake up, as we jump to October 1977. Bat Out of Hell is the title of the debut album by Michael Lee Aday known as Meat Loaf. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren and written by Jim Steinman. It was based on the musical Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan Steinman had written in 1974. Wikipedia notes the album’s musical style reflected Steinman’s fondness of Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen and The Who. Not only did Bat Out of Hell become one of the best-selling records of all time, but it also marked the start of a successful long-term collaboration between Aday and Steinman. Sadly, Steinman passed away at the age of 73 in April this year. Meat Loaf’s most recent studio album Braver Than We Are dates back to December 2016. He was sidelined by back surgeries thereafter. But just last month on his Facebook, he announced a new album for 2022. Even though Bat Out of Hell like pretty much all Meat Loaf songs I’ve heard is a massive production, it’s just an incredible tune.

Percy Sledge/When a Man Loves a Woman

After Meat Loaf’s rock inferno let’s slow things down again with a beautiful soul ballad by Percy Sledge. Co-written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, When a Man Loves a Woman was first recorded by the R&B, soul and gospel singer and released in March 1966. The tune hit no. 1 in the U.S. on both the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles charts. The title track of Sledge’s debut album also topped the charts in Canada and reached no. 4 in the UK. When a Man Loves a Woman became his signature song. I just don’t get tired of this tune, which is one of my favorite ballads.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd/Blue On Black

My next pick is by Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Southern rock-flavored Blue On Black was included on the then-20-year-old blues rock guitarist and singer-songwriter’s sophomore album Trouble Is… from October 1997. It was his first record that appeared under the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band moniker. Blue On Black, co-written by Shepherd, Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, became his most successful U.S. chart hit to date, topping the Mainstream Rock chart and reaching no. 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. In contrast, Shepherd’s records have enjoyed huge success on the Top Blues Albums chart, where eight of the nine albums he has released thus far hit no. 1. Shepherd is only 44 years old, so we can hopefully look forward to many more years of great music from him.

The Romantics/Talking in Your Sleep

I can hear the secrets that you keep/When you’re talking in your sleep…I always liked the lyrics of this song by The Romantics. The catchy pop rocker from September 1983 became the biggest hit of the American new wave band that was founded in Detroit in 1977. Credited to all of the group’s five members – Coz Canler (lead guitar, vocals), Wally Palmar (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica), Pete Solley (keyboards), Mike Skill (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Jimmy Marinos (drums, lead vocals, percussion) – Talking in Your Sleep was the lead single off their fourth studio album In Heat that appeared at the same time. Luckily for the talkative dreamer, she only has sweet things to say about her lover who lies right next to her in bed. The song topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the charts in Canada. It also became a top 30 hit in various other countries, including Australia (no. 14), Germany (no. 18), The Netherlands (no. 24) and Switzerland (no. 20). The Romantics remain active to this day, with Palmar, Sill and Cole being part of the present four-piece that since 1994 has also included Brad Elvis (drums, percussion). How many other bands can you name that have been around for some 44 years with their initial line-up largely intact?

Neil Young/The Painter

And once again we’ve reached the final stop of our Sunday music time travel. Why pick a seemingly arbitrary Neil Young tune? Why not! In fact, that’s kind of the point of The Sunday Six. Anything goes anytime as long as I dig it. The Painter is the opening track of Young’s 26th studio album Prairie Wind that appeared in September 2005. The record’s acoustic-oriented sound is reminiscent of Harvest Moon (1992) and Harvest (1972), which are both among my favorite Neil Young albums. While Prairie Wind doesn’t quite match the two aforementioned records, it still became one of Young’s most successful albums in the later stage of his remarkable 58-year-and-counting career. Like all other tunes on the album, The Painter was written by Young. BTW, speaking of his longevity, Young is coming out with a new album, Barn, on December 10, which he recorded with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse.

* This post has been updated to reflect that Blue On Black was co-written by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, not Shepherd, Danny Tate and Sillers, as had been stated initially.

Source: Wikipedia; Songfacts; Discogs; YouTube

Clips & Pix: Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Heading West

On October 28, Neil Young announced Heading West on his Neil Young Archives website, the second upfront tune from his upcoming new album with Crazy Horse, Barn. The below official video appeared on November 4.

The crunchy electric rocker follows the acoustic folk tune Song of the Seasons from October 15, which I previously featured here. Both of these tracks sound like classic Neil, and I’m looking forward to the album that’s scheduled to drop on December 10.

My mom and I travelled across the country together, heading west, Young wrote on his website. She was on her way back home to start over. I was on my way there with her. Here’s a song about me and my mom and those ‘growing up’ times. It’s so great to remember her this way!

Heading West features Young (guitar, lead vocals) and his Crazy Horse band mates Nils Lofgren (piano, backing vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, backing vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums). The tune was recorded in the Rocky Mountains on June 21 this year at Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio. Housed in a remote recording truck, Le Mobile is a rolling recording studio that over its nearly 50-year history has been used by countless music artists from AC/DC to ZZ Top.

I think this comment by Young perfectly sums the ragged melodic tune: What a great ride with the Horse on this one! Larry Cragg [Young’s longtime guitar tech – CMM] had my guitar sounding so alive.

Neil Young with his mother Edna Blow Ragland “Rassy” Young (1918–1990) – undated photo from Neil Young Archives

In a separate statement on his website, Young also had this to say about the forthcoming album: All of BARN is real. It came from the heart. We may have cried after some takes…in happiness…in elation…A band of brothers, we have all known one another since our beginnings. We made ‘Only love can break your Heart’ and ‘Southern Man’ on the same album. We made ‘Round and Round’ and ‘Down by the River’ on the same album. We made ‘Don’t forget about Love’ and ‘Human Race’ on the same album. Welcome back. It’s not the same. Barn may be our best album ever.

That conclusion certainly doesn’t suggest a lack of confidence. One of the things I find intriguing about Neil Young is his spontaneity. He doesn’t seem to overthink his recording projects. Overall, I feel this approach has served him well, though it’s also fair to say the outcomes have varied.

Young is also known for having made impulsive decisions and having scrapped entire albums at the last minute. It doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case for Barn. If anything, for the past few years, Young seems to have been on a mission to release more of his music, as evidenced by his Archives Performance Series, not withhold it. Keeping fingers crossed!

Sources: Wikipedia; NeilYoungArchives.com; Le Mobile website; YouTube

Best of What’s New

Hard to believe it’s Saturday again, and another week just flew by since my last revue of newly released music. Most of the times, Best of What’s New features artists I’m not familiar with or only have heard of in passing. This week is different. Two of my picks include artists who have been around for more than five decades, and I’ve listened to each for some 40 years. I had not been aware of the other two, though they’re not new artists. All tunes except for the last one are on releases that came out yesterday (October 15).

Santana/Joy (feat. Chris Stapleton)

I’d like to start with Carlos Santana who I trust needs no introduction. He first entered my radar screen when I was 8 or 10 years old. That’s when I listened to his band’s first compilation Santana’s Greatest Hits from 1974, which my older sister had on vinyl. I loved the combination of Latin rhythms and rock right away, which was front and center on that record, since it covers Santana’s first three studio albums. Of course, Santana’s music has since evolved. Which brings me to the band’s new and 26th studio album Blessings and Miracles. After the Latin rock-focused Africa Speaks and Santana IV, released in 2019 and 2016, respectively, Blessings and Miracles is reminiscent of previous records like Supernatural and All That I Am, marking return to a more pop-oriented sound and a collaborative approach. Here’s Joy, a tune co-written by Carlos Santana and Chris Stapleton, one of the many guests on the new album, who also include Rob Thomas (remember Smooth?), Steve Winwood and Chick Corea, among others. I didn’t expect Stapleton to sing a reggae-like tune, but it works and has a cool groove!

Wilderado/The Worst of It

Wilderado are an indie rock band that originally hails from Tulsa, Okla. and is currently based in Los Angeles. According to their Apple Music profile, their expansive indie rock fuses soaring vocals and rumbling guitars with an open-road, Americana-inspired feel…Co-songwriters Max Rainer (vocals, guitar) and Tyler Wimpee (vocals, guitar) began working together in college, initially using the name Bird Dog. By 2016, the band also included bassist Colton Dearing and drummer Justin Kila and the quartet, now called Wilderado, released their debut EP, Misty Shrub. The Worst of It, written by all four members of the band, together with co-producers Chad Copelin and James McAlister, is a track from Wilderado’s new eponymous album, their first full-length release. I like this!

Erin Enderlin/Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey

Erin Enderlin is a Nashville-based county singer-songwriter who originally is from Conway, Ark. She has written songs for a number of other country artists, such as Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire. Some became hits on the Billboard Country Chart, such as Jackson’s Monday Morning Church from 2004 and Womack’s Last Call from 2008, which reached no. 5 and no. 14, respectively. In August 2013, Enderlin released her debut album I Let Her Talk. Two additional records have since appeared, as well as Enderlin’s new EP Ballroom Mirrors. Here’s the opener Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey. The tune was co-written by Enderlin and Ben Chapman. Looks like it was first released back in July. I suppose three months still count as newish. Plus, the EP is definitely new.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Song of the Seasons

I’d like to finish this Best of What’s New post with the latest from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Song of the Seasons is the first track from their forthcoming album Barn scheduled to drop on December 10. This is Young’s 40th studio album and his 14th with Crazy Horse, and follows Colorado from October 2019, which he also recorded with the band. According to a short statement on Young’s website, Song of the Seasons was written about a year ago (by him) and is the oldest tune on the record. Released on October 14, the song features Young (guitar, harmonica, vocals), together with band members Nils Lofgren (accordion, backing vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, backing vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums). This acoustic folk tune sounds like classic Neil Young – love it!

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Neil Young website; YouTube