Music Review: Neil Young, Peace Trails

Neil Young. Photo / Victoria Will/AP

Partly because of his prolific output, putting the needle on a new Neil Young album can be a bit of a lottery.

Over recent times his music has been somewhat uneven depending on what crusade he's journeying on at the time.

Peace Trails though is something else again. The settings vary, from Rust Never Sleeps angry style full-on Neil Young guitar, to settings where the rhythms lope along in a cruise mode.

The lyrics too are really interesting and don't bang on in the way that some of his recent albums have.

The overall sound of Peace Trails is not just a product of an in-form Neil Young, it also owes a lot to the two sidemen who accompany him, bassist Paul Bushnell, and even more-so the guy who has to be rock music's busiest session drummer, Jim Keltner.

Keltner's influence on the sound of Peace Trail's diverse sounds is profound, creating soundscapes we don't normally associate with Mr Young.

Not only is Neil Young on fine form lyrics, vocals and guitar wise, we also get to hear him plying his trade on the harmonica, something that he hasn't done much in awhile.

The key word descriptor of the album is interesting but it's more than that.

Frankly it's great to find a curmudgeonly old rocker back in the groove of making good music. Rock on Neil Young.

Rating: 4/5 stars.