Neil Young – Bluenote Café

Bluenote Café holds its own

At 70 years old, Neil Young has had and continues to have an impressive career. Not only inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, but also as part of the group Buffalo Springfield, (not to mention being a part of the group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), he knows a thing or two about music. But with all this past success, how does Bluenote Café stand up?

The two-disc, 23-track album is a collection of previously released songs, along with songs that are new to listeners, previously written, but never released prior to Bluenote Café. This release features live music from some of Neil Young’s shows during his 1987-1988 American tour with his band, The Bluenotes. Though this is music from just one tour, the songs on this album were written over decades. With this being said, all 23 songs still have a cohesive sound, as if they were made to be released together.

Though many of the tracks were released previously, this live collection of music brings new life to those songs. “This Note’s For You” in particular comes alive on Bluenote Café with more emphasis on the instruments and enthusiasm from the audience. “Hello Lonely Woman,” originally written in the 60s by Young, is much livelier this time around with its spirited, bluesy rock and roll beat. “On the Way Home,” originally released by Buffalo Springfield, has more of a Motown feel to it in this latest version. Through each song chosen for the collection, Bluenote Café demonstrates that seeing Neil Young live is the best way to experience his music.

Young engages the audience as he introduces many of his songs—something that would not happen on a studio album. Young’s band, The Bluenotes, are introduced on the first track of disc one, “Big Time.” He prefaces “Just One Thing” by saying “Who’s got problems at home? Alright, let’s talk about that for a minute.” Even “Encore Rap” is a 44-second clip of the audience at a New York show. “How loud can you be? Let’s hear it,” asks Young and the audience certainly answers.

For those who are already familiar with Young’s past albums, Bluenote Café also features some unreleased music. “Soul of a Woman,” “Bad News Comes to Town,” “Ain’t It the Truth,” “I’m Goin,'” “Crime of the Heart,” “Doghouse,” “Fool for Your Love,” and the last song of disc two, the 19-minute “Tonight’s the Night” though all played live, were never released on albums until now.

With two and a half hours of music, Young easily proves why he’s been such a prominent artist for decades. From start to finish, Bluenote Café intrigues and entertains, and shows that in even 2015, Neil Young isn’t going anywhere.