Neil Young - Storytone Reprise
Two discs, two distinctly different interpretations of the same set of songs.
Neil Young: man of contradictions. Acoustic troubadour not averse to noise and feedback. Apparent hater of celebrity culture dating Daryl Hannah. Car-loving environmentalist. Champion of analogue music. Developer of the Pono download service. Curmudgeonly hippy. The list goes on.
In a career spanning 50 odd years, Young has veered from acoustic folk to proto-grunge and synthesisers. Following A Letter Home, recorded solo in a 1940s vinyl recording booth, the second Young album of 2014 is two sets of the same songs, the first solo, the second with big band or orchestra.
The first set could be outtakes from pretty much any Young acoustic set. The second set is better. Piano ballad Plastic Flowers is classic Young; Who’s Going To Stand Up? a rousing environmental anthem. I Want To Drive My Car could be Seasick Steve with Jools Holland’s Rhythm 'n' Blues Orchestra. Say Hello to Chicago and Like You Used To Do are bluesy swingers. The others are almost cloying and could be Young auditioning for Disney soundtrack work.
Young should be applauded for constantly evolving but this is far from his best work.
(6/10)
