Over a steady garage-rock rumble, Young lays out his point of view: "I’m Canadian, by the way, and I love the USA,’’ he sings at the start of Already Great, as the band chimes in with chants of "No wall, no hate" and "Whose streets? Our streets!"
But what’s notable about The Visitor is the variety of perspectives and musical approaches it presents, both musing and anthemic.
He’s perhaps most effective on the gently rambling closer Forever, in which he frames his concerns about a world without responsible leadership in religious terms: "The earth is like a church without a preacher," he sings.
"The people have to pray for themselves."
• Neil Young & the Promise of the Real. The Visitor. Reprise.
• ★★★ (out of five)
— Dan De/TCA
