Talkin To The Trees

With a career spanning over six decades and more than forty albums released, Neil Young is living proof that rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay. He hasn’t burnt away like Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain did, but he hasn’t faded away either. I saw him play live with the Chrome Hearts at Malahide Castle. If nothing else, it was clear the fire’s still burning. However, I can’t say the same about his first album with this new band: Talkin With Trees.

A New Band, but a Tired Offering

Lately, Young has mostly issued unearthed ‘lost albums’ that had been shelved over his long career in favour of other recording efforts. His last original release was World Record, recorded live with his former band Crazy Horse. Released post-COVID in 2022, it was a decent album — not great, but decent — showing the usual qualities Young has accustomed his audience to: solid songwriting, creative melodies, and rich harmonies.

The Chrome Hearts is the band he formed last year with guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony LoGerto, and longtime friend and collaborator, keyboardist Spooner Oldham. They made their debut together at the Farm Aid Festival in September 2024. The band is good, as I witnessed in Malahide — but Talking With Trees is simply not up to what one could expect from Neil Young.

Rushed, Raw, and Underdone

At times, the album sounds like a demo. There is no clear direction, no logical progression. The production feels rudimentary. It doesn’t do justice to the material and ends up undermining the few decent songs on the record. It feels like this effort was thrown together in a rush — from the production to the cover art — just to have something to show for the start of the Love Earth Tour.

Talkin With Trees was meant to be an ode to the Earth, coming from one of the finest songwriters we’ve ever seen. It’s a cause well worth championing, but I wonder if this album really does it justice.

Political Fire, Lyrical Fizzle

There’s no doubt Young remains politically outspoken. But tracks like “Let’s Roll Again” and “Big Change Is Coming “highlight the pitfalls of his direct approach. While activism has always been part of his music, these songs feel like first drafts of protest slogans. Lines such as “if you’re a fascist, then get a Tesla” or “over in China, they’re way ahead, it’s hard to swallow, they’re way ahead” land more like clunky headlines than compelling lyrics. Both tracks also suffer rhythmically. The words feel forced into the structure, as if Young is wrestling with the beat rather than riding it.

When the Mood Aligns

Where the album fares better is in its quieter, more introspective moments. “First Fire of Winter” is a delicate piece in the vein of the best of Young’s acoustic ballads. “Bottle of Love” and “Thankful” deliver gentle melodies and reflective lyrics that recall his late-70s period. “Talkin to Tree,” too, stands out — not just for its poetic imagery, but for a melodic and orchestral sensibility that feels fully realised. These tracks show Young still capable of emotional subtlety and musical depth when the mood aligns.

Flickers of the Old Spark

Elsewhere, the album wades through uneven terrain. “Dark Mirage” brings a solid bluesy groove and a well-judged contrast between the verses and a deeper, low-register chorus. It’s one of the few moments where the songwriting, performance, and production all seem to click. “Silver Eagle“, on the other hand, dips into familiar country territory, with a melody that feels overly familiar. “Moving Ahead” leaves little impression either way. And the opener “Family Life” feels almost improvised in the booth — off-rhythm and loosely stitched, as though songwriting were treated more as an afterthought than a craft.

A Flickering Flame

Young has always followed his own muse — for better or worse — and that uncompromising spirit is still intact here. But this album feels more like a scattered conversation than a focused message. The flame still flickers in places, but it doesn’t burn with the same clarity we know he’s capable of. I was genuinely looking forward to new material from the legendary songwriter, rather than another dive into his archives. Ultimately, I wish he had unearthed some other project — and buried this one instead.