For six long decades, Canadian music icon Neil Young has been carving his own path. From the earlier country-rock records to his folk years and even being deemed the Godfather of grunge, Neil has been putting out incredible music of all sorts and sounds; never fearing sonic exploration.
It’s no surprise that to this day he’s still producing some of the best music of his career. With his latest album Talkin To The Trees, written and recorded alongside his band The Chrome Hearts, Neil lays upon us some of his best music in recent years.
As someone raised up on Neil Young and his extensive discography, this album is a gem. Young’s age shows in the best of ways. His voice crackles so beautifully over the folk-country twang of tracks like “Family Life,” lyrically taking us into his home life and his deeply seated love for his family.
The slow groove-rockin’ of “Dark Mirage” appears next as a stark contrast, showing that after all these years, Young hasn’t tied himself down to one sonic direction. It’s laced with a slow tinge of psychedelia, another staple for the aging genre wanderer.
“First Fire of Winter” is a track that is so beautifully built to stand the test of time. It is reminiscent of some of Neil’s all-time greatest songwriting, it’s hard not to hear a tinge of “Helpless,” but aged and refined, the melody takes me back to camping at East Harbor as a young boy and hearing Neil’s slow folky-croon boasting gently over the smell of a campfire.
“Let’s Roll Again” is a classic Neil protest song with the melody of a folk gem with lyrics provoking companies such as Ford and GM to give us clean and safe transportation, a fun contrast to the more personal cuts of the album. “Big Change” gives us a similar energy lyrically, with a more rock-oriented instrumentation.
While it’s fairly rare for a single to be a highlight track, this is certainly the case with the title track “Talkin To The Trees.” It’s slow and gentle breeze takes the listener away to a pretty little farmhouse, blue skies above and the air gentle and warm. It is truly classic Neil Young.
As the album comes to an end, we’re graced with three tracks that contain more of Young’s classic soft and slow psychedelia—a fantastic way to wrap up such a stellar listen.
All in all, Talkin To The Trees is some of Young’s best work in the last handful of years, and certainly my personal favorite since Psychedelic Pill.
Age may be catching up physically, but it doesn’t show in the ways that it does in so many of his peers. Neil Young wears his age well, and he has given us yet another beautiful album. Something to raise up the next generation on, and that to me, is quite magical.
Get out tomorrow, June 13, and get yourself a copy of this future classic from an aging legend.
Favorite Tracks
“First Fire Of Winter”
“Thankful”
Rating
4.7/5
Tracklisting
Family Life
Dark Mirage
First Fire Of Winter
Silver Eagle
Lets Roll Again
Big Change
Talkin To The Trees
Movin Ahead
Bottle Of Love
Thankful
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