Young has already bagged our best live album of 2007, so how will this all-new studio album fare? This album has already met with widespread critical acclaim and been compared with his best, older work. At time it certainly bears some resemblance to those early classics, especially during the opening tracks of the album. ‘Beautiful Bluebird’ is a simple and pleasant love song while ‘Boxcar’ is an even simpler rights of passage song. It’s track three, the epic twenty-minute ‘Ordinary People ’, that really starts the ball rolling. Young has always been a writer that uses simple, powerful lyrics to tell his stories and this is no exception. As the title implies it’s all about ordinary, down-trodden people – fucked by bosses, assembly-lines, overwork, politicians, debt, booze and drugs. Young introduced a strong brass section in the choruses, with piano, drums and guitars also playing major roles. The guitar riffs soar periodically and there are regular extended instrumental passages throughout the song. While not really offering anything musically adventurous the song manages to make its mark big-time. It’s an anthem for our times and especially for the good old USA (with the UK not far behind!). ‘Shining Light’ is a beautiful, contemplative song with old style vocal harmonies and another wonderful set of accessible lyrics. Young’s voice sounds fragile and expressive as he sings a song that sounds very much like a lullaby. ‘The Believer’ rides on the back of a thumping drum rhythm and another fragile Young vocal. ‘Spirit Road’ takes on a more aggressive tone, and the highly rhythmic‘Dirty Old Man’ takes on a Rolling Stones style of driving rock. The pace slows dramatically with the country tinged ‘Ever After’ before another marathon starts. ‘No Hidden Path’ is a fourteen-minute bluesy rock number with long guitar riff dominated passages that make the song just a bit special.

Finally there’s ‘The Way’ complete with The Young People’s Chorus of New York City and sounding like a Flaming Lips song but simpler and better. Trying to compare this album with the man’s early classics is futile, but the album deserves its place amongst the best of his later recordings. Recently I read someone declare that Young was never a great lyricist. I beg to seriously differ. He has a simple, direct and effective way with words, and on this album has allied them with instrumental arrangements that add colour and drama. It’s a fine album.

4/5