Mirror Ball

by John Sakamoto

One of the larger factors that gave albums such as Rust Never Sleeps and Ragged Glory such a powerful wallop was their respective place within Young's body of work: They each followed several years of experimentation - or, in some cases, just plain goofing around. As a result, they seemed even fresher and more powerful than they might otherwise have been.

The same can't be said of Mirror Ball, Young's hotly anticipated collaboration with Pearl Jam. It comes during a period of unusual stylistic consistency for him - though somewhat facile, you could describe everything he's done since 1989's Freedom as either electric or acoustic rock - and is thus instantly recognizable as Neil Young's "sound." Though the backing by Pearl Jam doesn't differ radically from that of Crazy Horse, it also incorporates some subtle differences, notably in the vocal harmonies (fewer and more basic) and the drumming (Jack Irons has a lighter touch and uses more cymbal work). Eddie Vedder's contributions are limited to one lead vocal (on "Peace & Love") and a bunch of singalong choruses. The truth is, if you didn't know who the players were, you probably wouldn't be able to guess. And because the songs themselves are not collaborations - they're all credited solely to Young - there just isn't much give and take going on.

So, Mirror Ball is enjoyable, accessible, and unsettlingly in sync with the rest of the music scene. To paraphrase Chrissie Hynde, the middle of the road has found him. Maybe it's once again time for Young to take a detour into the ditch.