Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “Colorado” Album Review

Story posted October 30, 2019 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Jack Grossman

Despite some older musicians retiring or pursuing other ventures, there are still plenty more making the music they are known for. Neil Young is no exception.

Just two years after his previous record, Young has collaborated with classic partner Crazy Horse for this monumental 39th studio album, “Colorado.” Needless to say, it encompasses everything that Young has done in his legacy of records and proves that even in a more modern setting, Neil Young can make an album that pushes the rock genre even further than it was before.

The album opens with "Think of Me," a traditional old-school rock & roll type track. The attention given to the strings plsu the slow and fast pacing of the track is extremely refined — there is great care taken into emulating Young's classic sound and repurposing it for a newer audience.

Following "Think of Me" is a 13-minute long ballad entitled "She Showed Me Love," where the meat and potatoes of what makes a Neil Young album special is front and center. Young's tracks are known to be carefully crafted and this is no exception. "Olden Days," "Help Me Lose My Mind," and "Green Is Blue" continue this style, shown to fit very comfortably in Young's discography of many different songs and albums.

The second half of the album is where it becomes a more interesting collection, as Young experiments a little bit when he incorporates heavier guitars and slower pacing. In "Shut It Down," there is a heavier sound juxtaposed with Young's slow, almost melancholy tone, providing a sense of what sounds like cognitive dissonance. This carries over in tracks "Milky Way" and "Rainbow of Colors," showing how many tracks differ from the rest. "Eternity" and "I Do" are more in line with the rest of the album, perfectly cycling back to what was presented initially and wraps it up quite nicely.

The album is a seasoned Young record and, unfortunately, mostly appeals to those who are fans of his traditional work, as well as those who appreciate older classic artists like Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash. “Colorado” is an album that invites the listener to really soak in its content and appreciate it for what it is. However, at the same time, its eloquience is not something that puts it off entirely from the average listener, and is actually rather simple to understand and pick up on. This album definitely requires more than one listen in order to fully digest it, but that is normal for albums created in this genre, especially ones by Neil Young.

One might say that it is surprising that Young is able to still make music that sounds this complicated and put together, but it is really not as hard for Young as one may believe. Overall, the musician has put out an album that is obviously not as groundbreaking or prominent in its history, but rather shows us that it is still entirely possible to make music that is both artistic and simple.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Song: “I Do,” “Green Is Bluem” “Rainbow of Colors”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “Milky Way”

 

 

Jack Grossman is a senior majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jackdgrossman@gmail.com.