Artistically, Neil Young's been all over the map--- folk-rock, hard rock, rockabilly, soul--- and has been one of the most prolific artists of the past god-knows-how-many years. It's somewhat fitting, then, that, after going through artistic highs--- Harvest, Rust Never Sleeps--- and lows--- Everybody's Rockin', Trans--- Neil'd finally pen a hard-rock anthem that would endure as long as he would.

The song, "Rockin' in the Free World," is probably the biggest reason why everyone needs Neil's 1989 album, Freedom, but not the only one. In typical Neil fashion, the man behind "Ohio" provides a social commentary often hopeful, often angry, often naive, but always insightful. Taking on love, adultery, drug addiction, and the Bush administration with startling vulnerability, Neil's got a way with words, whether he's promising during the sweet (albeit boring) "Wrecking Ball" that "we'll go dancing tonight" or railing in the bittersweet "Rockin' in the Free World" that "we've got a thousand points of light for the homeless man/ we've got a kinder, gentler machine gun hand."

Not by any stretch of the imagination is Freedom perfect--- Neil's a hard-rock artist at heart, and his folkier material, while he has a knack for it, often doesn't deliver as well as his rock material does. Because of this, two ill-fated duets with Linda Ronstadt come off as languid, sappy, and, for lack of a better word, boring. "Hangin' On A Limb" and "The Ways Of Love" mar the album more than anything else on here--- while there are quite a few other songs on Freedom that are far from perfect, these two are standoffishly bad numbers. I can appreciate Ronstadt's voice, which, admittedly, sounds good in harmony with Neil's fractured, high-pitched whine, but the songs themselves are among the worst in Neil's catalogue. And Neil did Trans.

"Someday" and "Too Far Gone" don't fare much better. "Too Far Gone" is another folkie, while "Someday" is just utterly forgettable. Faring slightly better is "Crime in the City (Sixty To Zero Part 1)," an awfully intriguing narrative, but its nine minute running time ceases to become bearable after awhile.

Of course, what's good here is very good. "No More," particularly, is a harrowing, autobiographical tale of Neil's descent into drug use--- after recalling "it had a hold on me/ I couldn't let it go... no more, no more, no more," he confesses "I can't put it down/ I can't put it down." "Eldorado," while a great deal longer than it perhaps should have been, is an intriguing foray into flamenco guitar. His take on the standard "On Broadway" is morbidly amusing, as the innocuous little number dissolves into Neil's impromptu demands: "give me that crack... gimme some of that crack." "Don't Cry," meanwhile, is the most haunting take on love-lost this side of a U2 song.

And, of course, Neil bookends Freedom with two versions of the album's tour-de-force, "Rockin' in the Free World," starting with an acoustic live version and ending with the explosive, vitriolic studio take, a bittersweet faux-uplifting hard-rocker in the vein of Pearl Jam's "Alive."

Though Neil's songs remain as intriguing as ever, Freedom is an album not without its blemishes. Though his hard-rock act would be refined on later albums like 1991's Ragged Glory--- my personal favorite Neil album, for those taking notes--- and his studio effort with Pearl Jam as backing band, Mirror Ball, Freedom is a recommended addition to your record collection, on the strength of "No More," "Rockin' in the Free World," and the like. Just be aware that very little on Freedom lives up to the standard set by what is arguably its most famous track.






Recommended: Yes