Comes A Time (1978)

I feel an underappreciated quality of Neil Young's music is how good of an ear the man has for arranging players and instruments. He can already make a six string acoustic shine like a twelve string rickenbacker; but pair that with a slew of veteran players and it's like a stream of warm honey sliding down your ear. Peeling back the layers of sound on Comes A Time, a record that coasts along like a lazy wind, shows it's no less finely crafted than his most acclaimed works. With even the title track featuring a small orchestra of acoustic guitarists. It also features one of Young's best collaborations with him sharing vocals with Nicolette Larson, a vocalist I had previously written off as being overly edgeless; but I was really surprised how well she holds her own on these cuts.

Her smooth voice soars over Neil's, and yet is textured enough that the two singers blend together in such a way that's unique from the harmonies of longtime collaborators like Crazy Horse. And would ultimately usher in an era of Young collaborating more frequently with female singers like his ex-wife Pegi, Emmylou Harris, and even Linda Ronstadt. My personal highlight from the two is the boozy rocker "Motorcycle Mama". Lead vocals are traded off over a loose jam that rocks enough to be a unique entry in the track list, and yet fits right in with its low stakes groove.

Speaking of the Horse, Neil brings them in for two cuts; love songs with contrasting tones. One dark and brooding, the other soft and groovy. The groovy cut, "Lotta Love", is one of my favorite songs he's done with the band. Their simple playing fits Young's soft vocals perfectly, and the harmonies on this track throw back to the times when the Horse was practicing Doo-Wop before they had even met Neil. Their style does differ from the more pristine performances you'll get on the other cuts, but you really can't make a great Neil Young record without at least some form of Crazy Horse rearing its hooves.

Comes A Time is a great entry point into Young's vast discography because it's very easy to run through. There aren't any contentious moments, which some might find disappointing as it's maybe not as adventurous of a record as what's to come. But I find Young's lyrics and performances give enough depth to the record's themes of love and loneliness. And I think the experience the songwriter had gained with the previous "Ditch Trilogy" and Zuma makes this record more interesting than critical favorite Harvest. It's a uniquely bright point in his discography that stands as the calm before the eventual storm of Rust Never Sleeps.