Neil Young and Promise of the Real - Noise and Flowers (2022) Album Review

It wouldn't be a weekday if Neil Young wasn't releasing an album. If his insanely prolific archive series has tiers of interest - from completests only fair to previously unreleased treasures of gold, this sits almost uniquely in the top pile. Not in anyway fascinating by the standards of a  long ditched, never released classic album, it's a simple live set with his, ahem, Crazy Horse-lite band of much younger players, The Promise of the Real. But what elevates this to the heavens, is that its from a 2019 tour in honor of his late manager a close friend of 50 years, Elliot Roberts, so for this most cantankerous and uncommercial of artists, we get a tracklist of 'greatest hits' and "golden oldies", nothing after 1995, the kind of thing he never does. Putting it immediately alongside the iconic live sets, Weld and Live Rust. The set list alone will blow any Neil Young tragic's mind but almost uniquely in his catalogue, this one expertly blends gentle country laments, country rock and full blown guitar feedback blitzkriegs into one enthusiastic, compelling whole.