Sleeps with Angels: Neil Young and Crazy Horse

So I came across a list on Ranker of the 1700 greatest albums of all time. I got ambitious and now I want to listen to them all. 

Should I? Probably not.

Will I try? Heck yea I will.

Well it was the inspiration for this blog in the first place.

Random number generator said to check out the album ranked #1396 and it was Sleeps with Angels by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

I can't say I know too much about Neil Young's music outside of "Rocking in the Free World" so this would be my first introduction into a full album from him or Crazy Horse. 

Wikipedia Tidbits 

Sleeps with Angels was released in 1994 and was Neil Young's seventh album with Crazy Horse. It was produced by Neil Young along with David Briggs. Briggs mainly produced for Neil Young but he did also produce the Alice Cooper album Easy Action.

The Review 

I'm not going to go in depth about each song on the album because:

1. I am not a properly educated musician or editorial writer and
2. I am not properly motivated 

Remember, this is totally subjective.

Track List

My Heart - This one is slow, folksy, and felt like a children's sing-a-long. Not for me

Prime of Life -  I wasn't feeling the high pitched (flute?) during parts of the song. Groovy rhythm and guitar but wasn't too fond of the background vocals. Meh

Driveby - The lyrics of this hit pretty hard but it was bit too slow for my taste and had a very repetitive chorus. Another Meh

Sleeps with Angels - The title track. The guitar brought on some memories of cool 70's music. I didn't like high pitched "too late/too soon" bits of the chorus. Short song with awesome music but the chorus puts it in mid territory.

Western Hero -  Chill song with lyrics that resonated with me having a father that served in the military. For some reason this reminded me of a Marty Robbins song. First song added to my Spotify list of likes.

Change your Mind - Another song that slowly chugs along albeit with some cool rhythms and guitar play. For some reason the chorus reminded me a Tripping Daisy song. Cool song brought down by a chorus section I didn't enjoy. A very long song as well (not saying that as a detriment).

Blue Eden - Very drawn-out, bluesy intro. Way too slow for my taste and I didn't much care for Neil's lead vocals on this one. Some great guitar though again.

Safeway Cart - This sounds like intro music to a True Detective episode. Very moody and slowly builds but never peaks. That may have been the point of a song about a shopping cart in the ghetto. Ok, I guess, but not enough to add to my list of liked songs.

Train of Love - Deja vu. This is the exact same music as "Western Hero" but different lyrics. The lyrics of "Western Hero" were the reason I liked that song but I don't like this song because it is the exact same song with different lyrics.

Trans Am - The song sounds like a western themed movie in music form. A muted and slow song that didn't do it for me. 

Piece of Crap - What's this? A punk song?! A take on consumerism? Hell yeah. I love it. On to the like list with you.

A Dream that can Last - The piano plays a cool little ditty in this one. The beat marches at a very slow pace and almost feels like an old gospel song. An ok song which I feel can hold a deeper meaning to some listeners.

Final Verdict

Sleeps with Angels was not a great album for me. The highlights for me were "Western Hero" and "Piece of Crap", but the other songs didn't resonate with me all that well. 

Remember, my reviews are totally subjective. If you like guitars, slower or moody jams, or are a fan of Neil Young or Crazy Horse, you may really enjoy this album.

I didn't hate the album and I didn't love the album so no upvote or downvote on Ranker for Sleeps with Angels.

Wait.

That's a cop out. 

I should be voting up or down with each album, right? Maybe if I like the majority of songs on an album it should get an upvote and otherwise a downvote? I am not sure. Music deserves more than a binary up or down button press. Music is nuanced and artists work hard on their craft. Should I feel bad down-voting their work? Am I preventing lower ranked albums the opportunity to move up because I didn't downvote?

I think I just started an existential music ranking crisis in my brain.

Ok, I will do my part. Every album will get a vote from me. Don't hate me.

My apologies Sleeps with Angels.

Hey, 59% of the Ranker voters agreed! Now I don't feel too bad.