Neil Young is no stranger to using music as a medium for expressing his opinions on all things current. Many artists do it (see Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springstein), but Neil does it with the least amount of shame. Neil's new album Fork In The Road (released April 7th) is a classic example of this. Neil pokes fun at corporate America in "Cough up the Bucks" and wonders why he isn't getting a bailout in "Fork in the Road." He even makes his case for hybrid cars in "Fuel Line," howling "she runs so quiet it's just like a ghost!" But he may have recognized in "Just Singing A Song" - out of frustration perhaps - that he "can play his guitar and see how it goes" but "just singing a song won't change the world." Hmm, well, maybe not one song, but how about an entire rock show? Has anyone seen Almost Famous?
As with a lot of Neil's albums, the lyrics in Fork In The Road steal the show. The music is typical Neil, but not the Harvest Moon Neil; it's the plugged in Neil that keeps stabbing the same notes, only to heal the wound with an occasional slammed open E string. In the end, his guitar tone and new album are harmonized with the state of the world: they're distorted.
Fuel Line (Album Version) - Neil Young
Fork In The Road - Neil Young
Johnny Magic (Album Version) - Neil Young
Light A Candle (Album Version) - Neil Young
A few full reviews:
• Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 3 out of 5 stars, calling it "messy, funny and pretty crazy at points." Click here for the full review.
Here Neil's self-made(and pretty funny) video of the song "Cough up the Bucks":
Neil Young - Cough Up The Bucks
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