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In combining members of his longtime band Crazy Horse and those of more recent accompanists Booker T. & the MG's, Neil Young effectively fuses the gritty guitar-rock of his salad days with churning soul grooves on ARE YOU PASSIONATE? The '60s R&B influence is clear from the start, with opening cut "You're My Girl," which sounds like a cross between vintage Motown and one of Booker T.'s lost gems, all chirping organ and faux-Temptations backing vocals.
Partially due to chronological circumstance, this album will probably come to be known to the larger world as the one that contains "Let's Roll." The song is Young's response to the World Trade Center attacks, the title coming from the reported call-to-arms of the passengers who brought down the plane targeted for the White House. In fact, ARE YOU PASSIONATE? is full of many more impressive tunes, not the least of which being "Going Home," which recalls Young/Crazy Horse's '70s work, the 3/4-time Otis Redding-style love ballad "When I Hold You in My Arms," and "Two Old Friends," perhaps the most striking tune, whose plea for tolerance rings truer and more open-hearted than "Let's Roll." As always, there's a boatload of Young's gloriously grungy guitar work to admire throughout the album as well.
Recorded at The Site, Marin County, California and Toast, San Francisco, California.
Engineers include: Tim Mulligan, John Hanlon, Aaron Prellwitz.
Personnel includes: Neil Young (vocals, guitar, piano); Frank "Poncho" Sanpedro (vocals, guitar); Booker T. Jones (vocals, organ, vibraphone); Donald "Duck" Dunn (vocals, bass); Ralph Molina (vocals, drums); Pegi & Astrid Young (vocals); Tom Bray (trumpet); Billy Talbot (bass); Steve "Smokey" Potts (drums, bongos, tambourine).
Producers: Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, Poncho Sampedro.
Rolling Stone (4/11/02, pp.129-30) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Some of Young's breeziest groove music ever....Young as Soul Man? Believe it. This album hums on his timeless brand of fossil fuel: love that burns, faith that endures and guitar solos that keep searching for a heart of gold..." Spin (6/02, p.103) - 7 out of 10 - "...Tapping into Soul helps Young emphasize the timelessness of his maverick-yet-marketable talent....and delivers a dose of that million-dollar guitar..." Magnet (6-7/02, p.112) - "...The man proves as solid and reliable as a favored, aged steed..." Mojo (Publisher) (April 2002, p.106) - "...Display[s]...the major qualitites inherent in Young's work - musical tension and decent-hearted profundity....ARE YOU PASSIONATE is an homage to Memphis soul and R&B..." NME (Magazine) (4/6/02, p.36) - "...A collection fixated on how smashing his wife and family are....[Young] attempts to soften up his grizzled electric style with '60s R&B influences..."
Are You Passionate? - Neil sure is!!! Outstanding effort from Neil. This is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites. I can't wait for the tour (supposedly starting late Summer). They did 2 of the songs from this album at the CSNY show in Cleveland (You're My Girl and Goin' Home) and I knew right then that this was going to be a great album.
Highest recommendations, this is a must own.
Tim Submitted by a reviewer (West Seneca, NY, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Neil`s Got Soul Neil Young simply hasn`t stopped evolving. This cd has a little bit of a soul sound at times which I`m sure comes from doing the cd with Booker T. & The M.G.`s
It`s a nice sounding cd and Neil fans shouldn`t hesitate to buy it. Submitted by chicknet (Chicopee, Ma.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
The Guy is Amazing!!!!!! Tracks 2, 4, 8, 10 and 11 are just amazing! I got goose bumps when I listened for the first time! All these years I've just loved the guy. It started with "Comes A Time" when I was in high school. 60 years old and more to come... Submitted by a reviewer (Kansas City, MO) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
THE RHYTHM & BLUES KING Well, it's another different musical expression for Neil Young. This time out he's in the rhythm & blues groove backed up by Booker T. Jones on organ and Duck Dunn on bass guitar. This incarnation of R&B works. The songs seem to remind you of the best work in the R&B field by any artist that you can name. And Neil's fantastic guitar work is on display in every song. "You're My Girl" is my favorite of the bunch but they're all pretty darn good. This is a solid effort in the rhythm & blues vein and yet another direction for Neil that is an outright success. Submitted by a reviewer (Rockford, IL, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
great he may make the occasional so so cd but this is far from it its the best d by neil young period its as close as music gets to art Submitted by harlancone (peoria az) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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