Neil Young Delivers on The Promise

If there’s any artist more prolific than Neil Young, then let him or her step up to the plate. Granted, Ryan Adams once laid claim to that distinction, and Jim Lauderdale has been known to release multiple albums simultaneously at a quarterly rate. Yet in the last year or so, Young has been on a constant roll of his own, kindling a bromance with his new backing band, Promise of the Real, while giving Willie Nelson’s boys a major kickstart to their career. That pairing has accounted for four albums alone in the past year an a half, beginning with The Monsanto Years (June 2016) and continuing through Peace Trail (December 2016), Hitchhiker (September 2017), and now The Visitor. That doesn’t even count the recent flurry of live efforts and archival offerings that Young has plucked from the vault.

Whether Promise of the Real have helped him find his muse or it’s his outrage at the present state of our circumstances, one thing is certain. There’s rarely been a period in Young’s 50-year career that’s found him as inspired. Pity poor Crazy Horse for having been unceremoniously displaced and left to graze all on their own.

Of course, as proven in the past, quantity hasn’t always equated with quality as far as Young’s concerned. When Neil rants, the message generally takes precedence over the music. Such was the case with his recent efforts up until now, reason enough for casual observers to view this new record with some skepticism.

Happily then, The Visitor proves to be a breakthrough of sorts, at least as far as bringing back the consistent quality to which Young’s fans were once accustomed. While all involved still retain a tendency towards didactic overkill and incendiary outbursts, there’s enough diversity to suggest Young’s no longer neglecting nuance. “I had a change of heart” he declares on the quietly expressive song of the same name. Indeed, the walloping Western-style narrative “Carnival” includes kaleidoscopic interludes like those inserted in “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing,” while the wistful ballad “Almost Always” harkens back to the country caress of Harvest Moon. Still, it’s not that politics and polemics aren’t present. Opening track “Already Great” lambasts Trumpian dogma by declaring “No wall, no hate, no fascist USA.” The aforementioned “Almost Always” finds him lamenting “I’m living with a game show host/Who has to brag and has to boast/‘Bout tearing down … the things I hold dear.” “Diggin’ A Hole” sounds like a combination of a gospel moan and a relentless worksong. Likewise, the dogmatic “Stand Tall” and the sweetly symphonic “Children of Destiny” each offer a battle cry that transition into a forceful and affirmative refrain.

Even so, Young isn’t as nihilistic this time around, and the combination of drive and deliberation turns this call to arms into something that’s accessible and impacting at the same time. It makes for a welcome Visitor indeed.