HORSE WHISPERER
COLORADO IS THE first album from Neil Young with Crazy Horse in seven years, and the first to feature Nils Lofgren in nearly a half century. It’s a majestic-sounding collection that bursts with the raw, unbridled energy Young has always spurred from his thoroughbred garage band. Following the departure of guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro in 2014, Young brought Lofgren back into the paddock, along with bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, for a reunion that has defied the test of time (see sidebar, page 62).
According to Lofgren, the reunited Crazy Horse sparked a burst of new songs from Young that land on everything from environmentalism to his recent marriage to Daryl Hannah to even some musings about the band itself. Throughout it all, the production quality of this live-in-the-studio release (which was recorded in the ski-resort town of Telluride, Colorado) is stellar and reflective of Young’s reportedly single most passionate pursuit: “Bringing high-quality audio back to music lovers, who have been forced to settle for compressed, digital files that rob songs of their original warmth.” This past September, Young and Phil Baker even released a book on the subject, called To Feel the Music: A Songwriter’s Mission to Save High Quality Audio (BenBella Books).
In addition, — titled — will be simultaneously released. The video documents the recording process and offers some candid views of the way Young works in the studio, making it a must-see for fans of the man and his music.
