RECORD REVIEWS

Neil Young

“Peace Trail”

Grade: 3 stars (out of 4)

Neil Young’s social conscience is on full display on his new album, “Peace Trail.”

The overarching message, as delivered in the soothing title cut, is that he’s not done fighting for peace, wherever the battle is. It’s a noble cause, but it’s not just protest lyrics. There is an equal emphasis on the music and the result is a riveting album that delivers its message even louder.

The songs are a thoughtful journey that moves at Young’s relaxed pace. Driving them are stories about characters, and this detached narrative approach softens the preachiness.

It’s a mainly acoustic affair with Young’s voice measured and calm, sometimes more speaking than singing, such as in the Dylan-esque “John Oaks.” It takes a while to get through the story.

In the timely “Indian Givers,” which is about the Standing Rock, N.D., protest over the oil pipeline, Young sings, “On sacred land there’s a battle brewing,” over tribal tom-toms.

Musically, it’s lo-fi Americana. You can hear the upright bass being plucked and the drummer playing with brushes, although Young occasionally punctuates the mood with an angry blast of noise from his harmonica or electric guitar.

— Guy D’Astolfo, The Vindicator

Childish Gambino

Album: “Awaken, My Love!”

Grade: 3 stars (out of 4)

It’s OK not to “get” Childish Gambino’s third studio album “Awaken, My Love!” With its lush soundscapes and sparse lyrics, one can only gather that the funk-drenched latest release from the multi-talented Donald Glover is a collection that is to be felt first and understood second – if understanding is possible at all.

Outstanding first single “Me and Your Mama” and equally arresting follow-up track “Redbone” are the easiest to digest of the 11-song set. Twinkling chimes and a haunting chorus give way to fiery electric guitar and crashing drums on the former, while Gambino coos and cries out in his falsetto across the swaggering production of the latter.

Both were produced by Gambino’s longtime collaborator and Swedish music composer Ludwig Goransson, who has a hand in the majority of the tracks. But Gambino and Goransson’s latest project together is nothing like the previous albums and mixtapes. The cartoonish production and silly wordplay are gone. Instead of rapping, Gambino sings from the gut, sounding like Rick James on the spine-tingling “Zombies,” featuring up-and-coming singer-rapper Kari Faux.

Gambino pushes the limits of his sound on “Awaken, My Love!,” and while it’s not all smooth sailing, it’s a trippy ride worth taking.

— Melanie Sims, Associated Press