Neil Young: American Stars ’n Bars (Reprise)

Superstar-turned-cult-attraction Young has thrown a change of pace by serving up a tasty platter of palatable musical morsels. Long considered the godfather of agony rock (for a while there, it wasn’t uncommon to hear him sing of homicide and various other illegal acts), Young is literally "all-smiles" throughout the bulk of this collection of self-penned tunes, recorded with long-time associate Crazy Horse (that’s the band Crazy Horse) plus a big-name special guest or two.