Neil Young "Chrome Dreams II" (Reprise) Sounds like: An aging Neil Young failing to revive his old self
Neil Young spent the 1970s lamenting the hippie hey-day because he couldn't connect with the rising punk and glam rock scenes.
More than 40 years later, Young is still lamenting the loss of the hippie era. His latest album, "Chrome Dreams II," is a throwback to his most productive song-writing period - not in quality but in relation. Though the album functions as a sequel to an album that was never released back in the '70s, it contains none of the energy found on the original "Chrome Dreams," pieces of which surfaced on future albums prior to this new release.
Fans will surely point to "Ordinary People" as this album's saving grace. It's a workingman theme that mixes a horn section, sentimental-sounding piano and Young's raggedy guitar work. That all sounds very nice, indeed. There's just one problem - it's 18 minutes long.
Young's never been one to accept the idea of succinct songwriting. Sometimes he'll craft a nice, three-minute pop song and other times he'll stretch it out and pass the seven-minute mark. Only in a few instances has that excessive songwriting style rewarded the listener ("Down by the River," "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Like a Hurricane").
The remainder of the album plays out like a series of tired Young recordings, ranging across the various styles he has dabbled in throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s. "Beautiful Bluebird" might have been one of the poor ideas that never made it to Young's country-influenced "Harvest Moon." "The Way," which closes the album on a terribly sour note, pushes some awfully senseless lyrics onto the listener: "The way / We know the way / We've seen the way."
Many listeners will surely doubt this claim. Unless Young's talking about sending "Chrome Dreams II" straight to the trash can, then fans can assume he's truly lost the best of his songwriting ways.
-STEPHEN TRINGALI
