Mountains
belongs among a cluster of albums that represents a late-career renaissance for
Nils Lofgren
. That many of those records carry credits by
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
is a vagary of the calendar.
Lofgren
rejoined
Crazy Horse
in 2018, filling in for the retired
Frank "Pancho" Sampedro
, completing the
Colorado
album in 2019, the same year the guitarist released his own
Blue with Lou
. Then, COVID-19 hit, and
stayed with
Young
, knocking out two
albums in less than a year, along with the 2023 album
All Roads Lead Home
, which balanced new songs by
and his
compadres,
Ralph Molina
and
Billy Talbot
. All those records have a loose, homegrown quality while
, released just months after
, decidedly does not. Technically the first collection of original material
has released in a decade,
is a product of the studio, filled with sequenced rhythms, polished punch, and superstar cameos ranging from jazz legend
Ron Carter
to
Ringo Starr
(alas, the bassist and drummer do not form a rhythm section together). It's also possible to discern the long gestation of
through its deliberate pace: it has more than its share of ballads and many of its soul-stirring numbers move to a stately rhythm. Even the blues boogie "Won't Cry No More" -- a tribute to the late
Rolling Stone
Charlie Watts
which acts like a bookend to "Keith Don't Go" -- plays it tight, not loose. Far from seeming sluggish,
feels considered and thoughtful.
doesn't shy away from big emotions -- one song, "Nothin's Easy," is explicitly dedicated to his wife
Amy
, who also serves as the album's co-producer, yet many of the other tracks feel informed by their relationship -- and that open-heartedness is the key to the album's success: it enlivens the studio precision and gloss, giving it a warm human pulse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine