Recovering from a brain aneurysm apparently left Neil Young no worse for the
wear. If anything, it may have inspired him to strive forward in his usual,
slumberous and unperturbed manner. And as the cycle turns, Young got cozy, pulled
together a few close friends and family members, and rattled off a handful of
slow to mid-tempo lullabies. Enough, in fact, to create an album mollified by
a heightened and spiritual awakening. In the disjointed aftermath of Greendale,
such is the mastery and simplicity of Prairie Wind.
It begins as “The Painter” slips on like an old pair of shoes –
snug, comfortable, vaguely familiar yet more tantalizing with subsequent samplings.
The brush n’ rub of the acoustic and the idiosyncratic, haunting whine,
warmed over by the soothing embers of Ben Keith’s steel guitar — it produces
a lump in my throat every time. The emotional flame burns onward as “Falling
Off The Face Of The Earth” eloquently addresses faith and love and the
outside world. “It’s A Dream” takes it up a notch, sailing
unabated through the ethereal landscapes of Young’s pure and profound
imagination.
The title track resonates with a lilting hop, but gets bogged down by its redundant
chorus that sort of loses steam two or three minutes in. Thankfully, “This
Old Guitar,” with its “Harvest Moon” refrain, the Elvis-inspired
“He Was The King,” and “When God Made Me,” a judiciously
read invocation, tie the whole record together. So how does Prairie
Wind stack up against comparable classics like Harvest
and Comes A Time? It’s a difficult call, but it’s
clear Young hasn’t lost his gift for concocting poignant and effortless
melodies that sound fresh, full-fledged, and fabulous. Long may he run.
~ Shawn Perry
