After being in the game for over 50 years, Neil Young seems determined not to settle into professional old-fogeyism. His new album Peace Trail was reportedly recorded in just four days, with most of the ten tracks recorded on the first or second take. Many critics are saying this would have been a better album if the artist had just spent more time refining it. Obviously, a spontaneous, off-the-cuff feel was what Young was going for. Neil plays acoustic and electric guitar, pump organ, and overmodulated harmonica seemingly designed to give the listener a jolt at particular moments. He also brings back the vocoder which he utilized a lot more a few decades ago on the Trans album- another notable example of left-field Neil. The other musicians on the new record are veteran session drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Paul Bushnell. Young has always had an affinity for the native people of the Americas, and the Dakota Access Pipeline protest in North Dakota is an inspirational element of Peace Trail.
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