Neil Young 2000 onwards

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG "prairie wind" 2005, cd. #11 US, #22 UK, #46 Aust.

this album is Neil Young playing to his strengths,nothing experimental or out of left-field in sight!
this album is in my top three NY albums of all time, the others,"after the goldrush", "harvest moon"...closely followed by "living with war".
the inspiration for this one was the recent death of his father from Dementia and Neil's own brain operation thanks to an aneurysm. these two events culminated in NY thinking about his own eventual mortality. the songs within, are retrospective looks at his own childhood and formative years and memories of stories his father told him.
the album was written and recorded in ten days in Nashville,not that you'd know it by the quality of the tracks, with Neil going back to his hotel room each night and delivering a new song to the band the following morning.
apart from the retrospective tracks,"here for you" is a beautiful love song for his daughter(Amber Jean) who was about to leave home to attend college, "he was the king" is a lighthearted tribute to Elvis Presley, and most surprisingly there is a religious song here, "when God made me", maybe facing mortality NY discovered God and began asking questions about his life, whatevcer the reason, this is one of the best songs he has ever committed to album.
the music on the album moves sweetly, as NY puts it: "like a breeze over the Canadian prairies", having not been to Canada i cannot comment, but if this is so...guess where i'd like to go.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: this old guitar
best track: "it's a dream" & "when God made me"

tracks:

1. the painter***
2. no wonder***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EvEMObKUsE audio
3. falling off the face of the earth***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwO0A...eature=related live
4. far from home***
5. it's a dream***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJNB8fXje3I audio
6. prairie wind***
7. here for you***
8. this old guitar**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrKVu...eature=related audio
9. he was the king**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJSV7Ft9xII live
10.when God made me***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd3zxRnDGlM live

3s=8
2s=2
1s=0

rating 2.8