Amy Perez
Copy Editor
Celebrating 60 years in the industry, Canadian born musician Neil Young is still at it with his backing band, The Chrome Hearts, for his 50th studio album.
This is far from his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young days, but there seems to be no end to his storytelling genius. I mean who remembers their record “So Far.” I still play that vinyl on repeat but I’m always looking forward to the other projects that Young places himself in.
Young and The Chrome Hearts released a short and sweet album sharing some new as well as old songs with their seven-song track list. Well into his prime, at 80 years old, Young proves that his voice still carries through the years and that his folk style way of storytelling through music continues to resonate with fans. This album is both reflective and honest.
Young doesn’t lose his touch in the message of the music as The Chrome Hearts fill in with harmonic supporting vocals. The album “Second Song” was released back on Sept. 18. If you’re a fan of the classics then this is an easy listen on a slow rainy day.
This album is mainly acoustic with Young’s instantly recognizable and clearly aging voice softly crooning through each song. They lead with songs based on life experience, love and interpersonal relationships. This album has a kind of enchanting feeling to it as he stays true to his usual way of sharing his music with the world.
In a forever changing world, Young makes a statement with this late career album. Although a nice album, Young seems to keep us stuck in his usual sound. It’s a sound we love, but one that is filled with some similarities to the rest of his records possibly causing some mixed feelings and making fans questions if change is needed or if staying the same still hits the mark.
A handful of the songs on the album were unreleased and written many years ago. For instance, the closing song on the album is “I’ll Love You Forever,” written during Young’s high school days. This track is timeless and fits the theme of a teenager in love to a now older Young committed to his wife as he takes a trip down memory lane.
Young provides us with a sense of hope with his music as he continues to share with his loyal audience the deep importance of connection through each year that life allows each of us. He reminds us that aging is a beautiful part of the journey as he keeps making music that speaks to us while on his own self journey at his current stage in life.
Unsure if it’s just the way certain tunes may be tied to a specific artist, their voice or if the way Young strums his guitar is reminiscent of his older pieces of work, but there is a subtle hint of his hit classic “Harvest Moon” throughout this project. It’s allowed certain emotions and feelings of those first listens of his older classics to shine through while I listened to and appreciated this most recent piece of art.