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E! Online

A quietly retro mix of guitars and organ-fueled songs, the music simmers rather than boils over.

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Blender

Young sounds fresher here than he has in nearly a decade. [Apr/May 2002, p.110]

Billboard

Some of these songs about life, love, family, friends, and the world seem subtly laced with lyrics inspired by the terrorist attacks, which helps make Are You Passionate? seem not only like a great next step in Young's career but also the best album he could have issued right now.

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Launch.com

Throughout, Young's guitarwork--in tone and style--is noticeably on the money, playing his fuzzy, single-note melodic lines with the deliberateness of a horn player.

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Pitchfork

Sure, it's nowhere near his incredible run of the seventies, but it is probably his best album since 1992's Harvest Moon.

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Entertainment Weekly

He hasn't been this off-the-wall in years. [12 Apr 2002, p.74]

Rolling Stone

What makes this Mr. Young-goes-to-Memphis excursion resonate is the trouble that lurks just outside its boundaries.

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CDNow

And even though Young laces plenty of signature guitar riffs throughout, Are You Passionate? is for those who appreciate his songwriting as much as if not more than the histrionic fireworks he creates with Crazy Horse.

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Austin Chronicle

Just how bad can an LP produced by "Neil Young & Booker T. Jones with Duck Dunn and Poncho Sampedro" be? Not bad at all.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

For the most part, Are You Passionate? feels like an after-hours session, its songs weary and a little lost, but at times, Young makes those qualities work for him.

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Nude As The News

The catchy songwriting doesn't sit well next to Neil's crunchy soul, and the performances feel so stiff it makes for an unusually uncomfortable listen.

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Q Magazine

Mostly what you'll hear, though, is the hollow sound of a man needing a good, long break.

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All Music Guide

Instead of sounding like a refreshing change of pace, it's a muddled, aimless affair from an artist that's had too many middling efforts over the last decade.

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Uncut

Where there was once ragged glory there is now only a sort of bludgeoning earnestness which, as in the nine-minute "Goin' Home," blusters a lot to little effect. [May 2002, p.108]

Neumu.net

It's not bad, it's just so goddamn mediocre.

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Mojo

An homage to Memphis soul and R&B that initially seems a pleasant lark but grows blander and more characterless the more it is heard. [Apr 2002, p.106]

New York Magazine

Young's surprisingly conservative new album, Are You Passionate?, is simply frustrating, and worse, often as risk-averse as a CSNY reunion.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve M. gave it a 9:
Back to his brilliant best.

John B. gave it a 9:
A passionate new work from Young.

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