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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Not that I want to dwell much on their choice for a title, but the fact is that most fans of these guys are not exactly trendsetters. CSNY had their heyday in the early seventies, and for a few years, they deserved every last accolade that was thrust in their direction. Times have changed, though; a lot. Whether you feel that things have changed for the better or for the worse might determine your opinion of this disc. Looking Forward captures CSNY as survivors, as ex-hippie icons adjusting awkwardly to the contemporary music scene. Predictably, and honorably, they remain true to themselves, but they are missing their target audience by about twenty-five years.
As ever, the quartet seems to a perilous venture, with ‘CSN’ relying heavily on ‘Y’ for bringing contemporary relevance to the band and hopefully pulling in much of his own audience, which has not dissipated nearly as much, if at all. Neil Young has maintained his relevance with the contemporary audience by changing with the times, but on this album, he sounds happy to supply simple, folksy tunes about love that will set easily with this band’s presumably older fan base. All things being equal, though, there’s not much new here, and nothing that is surprising, except perhaps the fact that Crosby, Nash and especially Stills can still write a good tune now and then.
Songs about civility and politics still obsess Crosby and Nash, but without the ‘flaky’ hippie jive of their earlier work (flaky is Stills’ own word about the era, as he sings in "Seen Enough"). "Stand and Be Counted" is as topically simple as it sounds, while Crosby’s reflection on freedom ("Dream for Him") regurgitates images of the Chinese near-revolution. Stills still combines blues with Hispanic/island-based influences. "Faith in Me" could be a Jimmy Buffett tune (God forbid!), while "No Tears Left" may be the album’s best track, sounding fierce enough to fit comfortably on any of his records from the ‘70s. Young also provides a few pleasant numbers, but nothing that sounds particularly new. "Slowpoke" sounds like a melding of "Heart of Gold" with "Peace of Mind", while his other three contribution are all mid-to-slow tempo reflections on love. All in all, Looking Forward adds up to a pleasant look backward, but not too much more.
Grade: 
 
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