CD Review

I’m sure you’ve already heard the argument that, because Neil Young is Canadian, he has no right to speak out against the Bush administration. Since he isn’t an American citizen, he should be satisfied as part of the silent majority, fear the Patriot Act, and bow to what he refers to as “the thought police.” But after one listen to his new anti-Bush album, Living With War, it’s hard to rally behind any of the “but he’s Canadian!” bashers. I’ll put it like this: Neil Young could have been born in Baghdad bathwater and still would have sounded convincing on this rousing record.

Young, with help from Chad Cromwell on drums, Rick Rosas on bass, and a 100-member choir, doesn’t waste time hinting his beliefs on Living With War. He is at his most direct from a writing standpoint (“Don’t need no more lies” “Try to remember peace”) and his beloved guitar, Old Black, hasn’t sounded this ragged and raunchy since his last great record with Crazy Horse, Ragged Glory.

But as direct as he is on every track, Young’s preaching never becomes overbearing or repetitive. “Shock and Awe” speaks of “thousands of children scarred for life” and “millions of tears for a soldier’s wife,” while “Families,” “Flags of Freedom,” and “Roger and Out” all deal with separation of bonds that can’t be replaced, which seems to be what Young cares about the most. Sure, “Let’s Impeach the President” will be the track talked about the most, but the overall message is clear: people are dying, perhaps for little reason, and it needs to stop now. Let’s hope his mission is accomplished soon.