Album review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Americana

I don't know how the Queen, in her special year, will react to Neil Young and Crazy Horse's rendition of God Save The Queen.

If you are of a certain age you will recognise the lyrics to most, if not all, of the songs on Americana. Mind you, you may need to take a step back and adjust to the context because when Neil Young and Crazy Horse make music together it's not for the faint-hearted. There's a down-and-dirty approach but the juxaposition of the music and the well-travelled lyrics really works for me.

Oh Susannah kicks off Americana and straight away you get the picture. Neil Young is revisiting his childhood in Toronto where, in the 1950s, most of these songs would have been radio staples. Clementine, Gallow's Pole, She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain, This Land is Your Land. Mostly there's a full-on approach but the variety is there in the songs themselves and also occasionally in the softer approach that Young and Crazy Horse apply. As to whether the Queen will rattle her jewellery to the sound of God Save The Queen is anybody's guess.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Americana

Rating 4 / 5 Stars