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Jan 4, 2024Latest must-have. .... Not only are most of these renditions drastically different to the originals, Young blends one reimagined song into the next without any pause, producing less of a medley than an epic, multipart ballad. When he’s gone, none will replace him.
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Dec 11, 2023The only slight misstep is Mother Earth, which swaps the original version’s distorted guitar for pump organ – but as it’s Young’s voice that still takes centre stage, that feels more of a cosmetic change than the imaginative reworkings elsewhere.
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UncutDec 8, 2023This is about consistency of themes and mood over time, reimagined by a man reckoning with his past and drawing new light to the deepest of cuts. [Jan 2024, p.38]
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Dec 8, 2023Humility prevails in Before And After especially as it radiates through the ease of Young’s vocal delivery. The weathered quality his voice has acquired over the years only adds to the emotional authenticity, as does the simplicity of his harmonica playing and the vigorous strumming of acoustic guitar.
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Dec 8, 2023There’s a lovely intimacy and openness to songs such as When I Hold You in My Arms and while his voice has lost some of the old youthful power, it has gained in tenderness, nuance, humanity and warmth.
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MojoDec 7, 2023Where the stage show had the intimacy of Young's between-song chats, the intimacy here comes from the sensation that you're listening in on his thoughts as one song drifts, like memories do, from one tome to another. [Jan 2024, p.90]
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Dec 7, 2023The songs are rarely improved upon, with the fidelity to ruggedness giving the songs the feel of half-finished demos, but the songwriting itself is, of course, stellar.
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Dec 7, 2023Without the distractions and clashing frequencies of a full band, one can better appreciate how the album has been cut together, with subtle musical segues, clever editing, and consideration for overlapping lyrical themes.
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Dec 13, 2023Given that these performances take on a sparse demo-like approach, the intimacy is obvious and revealing, as if the listener is eavesdropping on the artist at a particularly vulnerable moment, or even more likely, while he’s simply opting to run through some songs for his own pleasure and satisfaction.
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Dec 11, 2023Perhaps not the new studio recording some were hoping for, but a fascinating and compelling deep dive into Young’s past. [Mar 2024, p.80]
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Dec 7, 2023The starkness of the arrangements helps draw attention to the distance between the origin of a song and Young's present. Now creeping toward 80, Young doesn't sound fragile yet his vocals display some age-related raggedness. Embracing his weathered, keening voice, Young highlights the tender yearning that runs throughout these songs.