★★★
Neil Young doesn’t shy away from a battle. After attempting to go toe-to-toe with Apple’s iTunes via the release of his Pono mp3 player and streaming service, and coming off a little worse for wear, he has returned to the ring to battle controversial agribusiness Monsanto on his new record.
Thanks to a chance meeting at last year’s Farm Aid concert, Young recruited Willie Nelson’s sons Micah and Lukas, who front the rootsy band Promise Of The Real, for this collaboration.
This isn’t a polished record, and it’s not meant to be. It’s a weather-beaten collection of tracks – scruffy and at times underdone. Shrouded in Young’s resolute idealism, the album is too heavy-handed in parts and often comes across as both a diatribe against corporate America and an incomplete side project that sadly hasn’t progressed significantly past the blueprint stage.
After having songs such as ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ co-opted by the kinds of characters it was striking out against (hello Donald Trump), Young has gone the direct route.
While the material isn’t quite as nuanced as you’d hope, it is engaging. Just don’t expect ‘What’s Going On’.
The Monsanto Years by Neil Young & Promise Of The Real is out through Reprise/Warner.
