Neil Young has been known to throw his fans a wild pitch now and then, fluctuating between various genres and topics at whim. Young's latest effort, Living With War
is entirely composed of protest songs against the war/occupation in Iraq, President George W. Bush and the resulting exhaustion.
The protest song is nothing new to Young, as some of his most famous songs are those that inspire the rebel in us all. But with Young's latest disc, the only thing listeners should protest is the continuation of his solo career.
It's not the subject matter that bothers me ' as a member of the liberal media I'm required to dislike Bush and everything he does. However, Young does not use his own insults, but instead relies on the liberal rhetoric we've seen or read over and over again. I already was tired of the Bush bashing, and hearing the same insults backed by a boorish band does not make a unique message. In Impeach the President alone, Young accuses the president of hiring criminals, misleading the country and breaking every law in the country among other hackneyed abuse.
There are some small points where Young succeeds on this disc, harkening back to the classic formula of successful protest songs: creatively writing about situations that include the same subject matter but are not brash enough to directly confront issues. Songs like Families and Roger and Out are welcome changes of pace on this disc. Lyrics such as I see a light ahead/There's a chill wind blowin' in my head/I wish that I was home instead with my/Family on Families do not inspire the listener to cringe as many other lines do.
I've never made a protest album. I do not plan to. But even I know that when recording an album that could seemingly be perceived as anti-American, you do not include a cheesy cover of a classic American song to remind people how much you love the ol' stars and stripes.
However, Young breaks rule No. 1 with reckless abandon, using a giant backing choir to close out the album with a cover of America the Beautiful. You can sing about all the public figures you want and their shortcomings, but when your bland dissatisfaction is mixed with what can only be described as tacked-on patriotism, don't expect me to listen.
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Chris Yonker
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