Neil Young Are You Passionate? CD

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..."