Album Review: Looking Forward to New CSNY? Don't Be So Sure: Ten Years After Their Last Album and 30 Years After

Looking Forward to the new Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album? So was I. When I was in elementary school and my friends were swooning for the toxic melodies of The New Kids on the Block and Vanilla Ice, I was singing along to the tunes of "Ohio" and "Woodstock," daydreaming about Yasgur's farm and music with a "message." While my friend's musical idols were worrying about hair mousse and Hammer pants, mine were getting liver transplants. But the music I loved was distinctly dated fare, so I had hope that the new CSNY album would take some inspiration from the '90s. After all, the album's title was Looking Forward.

But Looking Forward--David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young first album together since 1988's faltering American Dream--is grounded in the past. Neil Young, the proclaimed "Godfather of Grunge," actually seems mellow, and the album crosses the line separating eclectic and schizophrenic. It veers from the steel drum band sounds of "Faith in Me" to "Slowpoke," which has a mournful tone that is vintage Neil Young. The saddest thing about this inconsistent reunion album is the fact that it captures little of the passion and innovation that made Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young such an evocative voice for their generation.

The raw emotion of CSNY singing for the slain students at Kent State or energizing Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" is sadly lacking in Looking Forward. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young may all be "looking forward." But precisely what is unclear, as their album lacks any sense of cohesion or unity of emotion. "Stand and Be Counted," is a catchy call to their generation to question the loss of idealism. "No Tears Left" is solid rock-pop, but overall, despite the presence of Young, Looking Forward decidedly does not rock.

The late '90s have seen a veritable hailstorm of reunion acts, from the Eagles to Fleetwood Mac. While those bands chose to release compilation albums of their best hits in conjunction with their respective reunion tours, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have once again refused to take the safe path, choosing instead to release this collection of new material.

Unfortunately, while the decision may have been risky, the album itself is not. It is an amazingly safe album. The lyrics to these original songs are largely unoriginal, as if the group were merely going through the motions with Looking Forward.

Worse than anything else, on many of these tracks the band simply seems lazy, as if they have little left to say and less inclination to bother to try. In the title track, Young's lyrics are an affront to the man's talent and achievements, with clichs such as, "Looking forward all that I can see/is good things happening to you and me." One wonders if Young is actually "looking forward" or if he is merely asleep at the wheel. This is not to imply that there is nothing to recommend Looking Forward. Young's guitar work alone is reason enough to buy the album, and the track "Out of Control" is a breathtaking showcase of just what CSNY can put forth when their talent is fully realized. It may be cruel to judge Looking Forward by the standards of their past work, but the comparisons are inevitable.

Looking Forward has some redeeming qualities. David Crosby's words to his child in the tender "Dream for Him" and Graham Nash's "Someday Soon" both have the ring of truth to them and will certainly not disappoint any fan of CSNY. It is only that the road that David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young have chosen is not an easy one. They stumble frequently on this new album, but in the moments that they succeed, all is forgiven. B-